Details that change a life
by bluerose88
Summary: A new nurse arrive at Hogwarts and everything change! What will happen now? spanking later on
1. Chapter 1

**A/N Et viola!! That's my very first beta chapter!!!A big thank you to AndraWard who help me!!! :D**

**DETAILS THAT CHANGE A LIFE**

**CHAPTER 1- A NEW NURSE**

The Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Albus Dumbledore, was having his afternoon tea in peace with his loyal phoenix, when the doors of his office were opened.

"Albus, I need an assistant!" the old Headmaster didn't move a muscle, but with a flick of his wrist a cup of tea appeared when the woman was sitting in front of him

"Sit, Poppy dear, and tell me, why do you need an assistant in such a hurry?"

"A couple of minutes ago I received a Floo-call from St. Mungo, they asked me if I wanted to work for them every afternoon. Now, you know that someone should stay in the infirmary at every moment and I'm not going to say no to such an opportunity! I need only…"

"Of course, my dear! Work at St. Mungo's is obviously a great opportunity for a nurse like you, better than looking after broken nose of a Quidditch player! Do you know already of someone who can help you?" surprised of such a positive answer, Madama Pomfrey didn't know what to say for a few minutes "We can have the interview for the job here…"

"Oh, sure, sure. I can ask Dr. Smitson if someone of his latest students is looking for a job."

"Excellent! Ask him if there's some young lady, say between twenty-five and thirty years old, nice and intelligent who…"

"Albus!" the nurse yelled scandalized "We're looking for a new nurse! And you're way too old for…"

"Oh no, no, no! You misunderstood me!" leaned against his armchair, the Headmaster look at her with his blue eyes twinkling above the cup of tea "I'm only saying that we're all old professors and a young colleague could help us."

"Severus is only thirty!" and before she could finish the sentence, the nurse understood what the Headmaster was plotting "Albus Percival Dumbledore! You aren't trying to be Cupid for Severus, are you? The boy is capable to find himself a woman if he wants to!"

"Oh, but Poppy! Don't ruin an old man's dream. Severus is always so busy being…angry, there's nothing wrong if he knows a young lady to talk to, right?" standing up, Madama Pomfrey pointed a finger under his nose

"I'll look for a new assistant and if, and I repeat _if_," she added seeing the smile on Dumbledore face "I'll choose a young woman you'd better leave Severus alone because I won't help you if he decides to use you in his next potion, understood?" and after this she walked towards her quiet infirmary, even if she was sure to she heard the Headmaster say "Well, I only have to talk to Minerva."

* * *

Severus Snape was taking the new potions that Madama Pomfrey asked for the infirmary when the headmaster approached him whit a large smile

"Ah Severus, wonderful day, isn't it?"

"Headmaster. Even if I find talking about the weather fascinating, I've got to postpone this cleaver conversation to a more appropriate time. Maybe when I don't' have my arms full."

"But I'm here to help you, my boy. Pass me those phials, won't you?" Severus snorted at Albus who was hiding a smile.

Severus frowned when they reached the infirmary. A row of people were lined by the door.

"Who are all of these people, headmaster?" Severus asked

"Oh, nothing, my boy." Albus grinned, "Madama Pomfrey is starting a new job at St. Mungo's so she's looking for a new assistant. Wonderful idea, isn't it?"

"Humph." Severus grunted

"Twenty years at…Oh Albus, Severus." the old nurse saw them interrupting the interview with a mild-age woman "She's Misses Connor, an excellent nurse…"

"I'm sure, Poppy, but I'm merely here to bring you the potions, I'm not interested in knowing new people." Severus carefully placed the small phials on the counter

"Severus!" the headmaster yelled as Severus tried to escape. "That wasn't a way to greet a new colleague, boy." Albus stated as he stared at Severus over his glasses.

"Albus," he answered curtly "I'm not interested in making a good impression and above all, I'm late."

"Late? Where are you going?" Albus asked curiously

"To Hogsmeade, I need to refill my stores before school starts."

"I'm sure some fresh air could do miracles for you. Alas, could you pick me a pack of Lemon Drops?" Severus doesn't answer but he knows exactly where Albus can put those.

* * *

"5 Galleons and 13 Sickles, professor." avoiding the old shopper babbling, Severus Snape walked with fast steps to the nearest Floo, but his escaped was interrupted when he heard some woman shout from a near street

"Let me go, bastard! Let me go I said!" a young girl was trying to free herself from a man who kept her trapped against a wall

"Didn't you hear the young lady? Let her go." Severus interrupted

"Mind your own business, man." The other man answered without looking at him "The _young lady_ is taken." in a second the fool was with his back against the wall and an angry Severus Snape at just a few centimeters from his nose

"I said let her go, _man_. And now you better disappear before I decide to make you into a potions ingredient!" and in less than thirty seconds the man fled leaving Severus and the young stranger were the only ones in the street "Are you hurt, miss?"

"Only my pride." she said looking at her feet "Thank you for save me, mister…"and she raised her face at last looking more like a child than a woman

"Are you sure everything ok?"

"Sure. No need to worry, professor Snape." she answered him, her face covered by the hook of her robe "I'm made of rocks, the advanced of that poor excuse of a man won't upset me. Thank you again, professor." And she disappeared in the crowd.

* * *

It was the last dinner he would have in the Great Hall without the continuous noise of the students, all the teachers were at their usual place when the doors open wide to let Madama Pomfrey and a young lady that they didn't know enter.

"Welcome!" the Headmaster stood up and opened his arms like he could give them a hug from there "My dear colleagues, I'm honored to introduce you the new nurse who will help Madama Pomfrey to heal our students." everyone, even Snape, turn around and smile at the new nurse "So, let's start with the introduction, this lovely woman at my right is…"

"No need for this, Albus, this afternoon I showed Desideria the castle and we met all the teachers in a corridor or room." interrupter the old nurse showing the young woman a seat between her and the young potion professor

"In the corridors, you said? So I'm sure miss Naiade didn't met our Potion Master, right?" hearing his name, Severus decided to introduce himself to the new nurse, but he was interrupted when she said

"I've already met Professor Snape, Headmaster." seeing the confused expression on his face she added "A few days ago he helped me to solve a little problem in Hogsmeade." The others seems satisfied from her explanation and started eating.

Severus immediately recognized that voice. He tried to remember where he had heard it. It dawned him a few seconds later that it was the girl in the street. He looked her over, she seemed much older then he previously thought. In fact they might even be the same age.

"So you teach potions, right?" the young nurse asked trying to start a polite conversation

"I do."

"How long have you been teaching here?"

"Eight years."

"Eight years! You look too young to…"

"Severus is a very smart boy, he took his Master in only two years." Interrupted Albus

"I don't think Miss Naiade is interested in my academic results, Headmaster." this time the Potion Master's sharp tone interrupted him

"You should be proud of your results, professor." she added

"I am, Miss, but _my_ results are not a conversation topic." he said annoyed

"See your not starting any different conversation! Stop whining." she said hotly

"Whine? I'm not starting a conversation because I don't want to talk!"

"Severus, please, my boy…" the Headmaster tried to calm them down when he felt the tension become tense.

"It's called being polite, professor, didn't anyone teach you manners? I know some children who could be more polite than you!"

"Perhaps you spend too much time with those children because you're acting like one of them!" at this point all of the teachers abandoned their dinner to listen to the quarrel

"And you're behaving like an old woman!" Desideria was so engrossed in criticizing Snape's behavior that she missed the collective gasp that welcomed her words

"An old…" Snape stood up throwing his napkin on the table "I should have let you in that man's hands in Hogsmeade!" this time Desideria stood from her seat near him

"I never asked your help!" she said truly upset

"And be sure ext time I won't help you!" Severus hissed between his teeth

"Fine!" she yelled and the two stormed out of the Great Hall ignoring the other teachers, even after they were gone no one said a thing

"It seem that poor Severus has found a worthy opponent." professor McGonagall said "It will be a very interesting year, colleagues." and no one could suppress a smile imaging the future battles between the Potion Master and the young nurse

"Well, Poppy, you were talking about a new project, am I right?" asked the Headmaster with his twinkling eyes

"Oh yes, Desideria and I thought that we could do a total check up to the entire student body…"

* * *

What an impossible man! Even if she arrived only that morning, Desideria found the right way for her quarters without getting lost in the big castle, thinking about his sarcasm was enough to make her hands tremble with rage. Stupid impossible man! Trying to calm herself she grabbed the couch cushions and thrown them against the wall

"A wonderful man, they said. Practically a genius for his age!" she mimicked "Will see how you'll get along! Sure, I'll agree with him the day he decide to thrown himself in the Black Lake! She flipped onto the couch snorting and embracing the only surviving cushion to her chest. Letting her mind wonder to first time they met.

Her mother told her to visit Missis Flemming's first thing when she arrived in England. So she found herself talking with the old woman all morning. After leaving she walked towards Madama Rosmerta's pub when someone grabbed her arm, turning around she found herself face to face with Michael

"How did you find me?"

"I follow you, what else?" he answered her grabbing her with more force and dragging her in a dark street

"Let me go, Michael."

"I don't think so. You're coming home with me."

"I'm not coming back, now let me go!" but the man ignored her words trying instead to trap her against the wall

"Let me go, bastard! Let me go I said!" she yelled hoping someone would hear her

"Didn't you hear the young lady? Let her go." they both turned around, a totally dark young man with his arms cross on his chest and a scowl on his face was standing at the street entry

"Mind your own business, man." Michael showed his usual lack of self-preservation moving his eyes from the man "The _young lady_ is taken." she found herself free in a blink of an eye while the stranger attacked Michael

"I said let her go, _man_. And now you better disappear before I decide to turn you into a potions ingredient." And Desideria sword she never saw that man run so fast. She tried to tidy her dress and he approached her asking if she was hurt

"Only my pride. Thank you for save me, mister…" she rose her eyes to find herself trapped in the darkest eyes she ever saw, the consciousness took her and she couldn't end her sentence

"Are you sure everything ok?" asked Severus not noting her feelings

"Sure. No need to worry, professor Snape." Luckily life thought her to get over things fast. She smiled "I'm made of rocks, the advanced of that poor excuse of a man won't upset me. Thank you again, professor." And she ran away before he could stop her.

For two days she thought of him imaging everything she did wrong, when she saw him sitting at the table she felt so happy, she tried to start a polite and enjoyable conversation and the way he answered make her lose her patience fast.

* * *

Severus was seething! What an impossible woman! She arrived in _his_ school! Disturbing _his_ last dinner without the brats, and she had the nerve to insult him in that way. Stupid impossible woman! He walked towards the dungeon with his dark robe dancing behind him. His body still shaking with rage by the treatment of that stranger. After everything he did for her! Ah, obviously that man had his reason for his treatment. 'I'm sure he lost his patience!' he though with malice before enters his studio. He thought that until morning. He dreamt about the face that he never saw, he recognizes her voice as soon as the headmaster introduces her. When she sat near him he was lost looking at her mahogany hair force in that old lady hair style. Her big brown eyes that seemed to spread serenity, until she decided to attack him without reason. Really, the nerve of some people! With a glass full of firewisky in his hand he walked toward his bedroom swearing at the thought that he has to see that impossible woman again!


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N Thank you for you kind reviews! Here's a new chapter, I hope you like it!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter**

**CHAPTER 2- UNEXPECTED SURPRISE**

Even the last student was sorted and Harry sat happy at his table, he was a Gryffindor and nothing could make hip happier. The Headmaster stood and all the students become quite

"My dear students, allow me some words before you start eating this wonderful food. I remind to every student, especially the first year ones, that the access to the Forbidden Forest is _forbidden_." And harry had the impression that even if the speech was for everyone, the Headmaster seem to talk directly to the Weasley twins "This year you cannot go to the third floor too, so please stay away from there. Now, I'm glad to introduce you the new DADA teacher, professor Quirrell," a weak applause started in the Hall, but it dies fast "and our new nurse, Miss Naiade." this time the applause was definitely louder and Harry heard some students of the last year said that they would have happy to stay some time with such a nice nurse "Talking about nurse, from this year every student should submit to a full check-up, so please look to the timetable in your common room to know when's your turn. And now, let's eat!"

After empty his plate and listen to his new mates talking about magic lessons and Quidditch, Harry started looking around stopping to the table where all his future teacher were sitting, professor McGonagall, the one who escorted them to the Sorting Ceremony, was laughing to sometime the young nurse said, while the professor sat near her seemed angry, unexpected that professor rose his face looking directly in his eyes

"Ow!"

"Harry, everything ok?" Ron turned around hearing his complain, Harry rubbed his scar trying to distract his schoolmates

"Nothing. What were you saying about Quidditch?" and while the other boys started talking again Harry Potter realize two important things. First of all, his potion professor didn't like him and second, his already saw that eyes somewhere.

"Gryffindor, I knew it." Severus Snape looked at the little James Potter clone while he sat at the table surround by loud applause and the Weasley twins who were practical dancing on the place

"It's quite obvious, Severus, both his parents were Gryffindor. I hope he had his father same talent for Quidditch!" Minerva was literally jump on her seat imaging another Potter in her team

"Gryffindor. It's your House, isn't it?" asked Desideria

"Yes, my dear. I'm Gryffindor Head of House and Severus is the Syltherin'. We look after the student of our House, it's like have another family." professor McGonagall was happy to explain her everything about the school and she was more than happy to learn

"You look after those kids?" Desideria turned towards Snape to provoke him, after only twenty-four hours since the last dinner, their fights were already famous in the castle "Poor ones." the potion professor didn't move a muscle and without stop to cut the meat said in his usual sarcastic tone

"Are you invidious, Miss Naiade? Only the smart ones end in Syltherin. You weren't in Syltherin, were you?"

"It seems that you start to be old, professor Snape." the young nurse said "I'll repeat you for the last time. I grown in Italy and there the students aren't sorted in Houses." Almost as she rethought it, she add "And about being _smart_, I had the highest marks of all the students when I graduated." the transfiguration professor started to laugh seeing Snape murderous face.

Severus decided to get rid of his rage on the Gryffindor students, but as soon as he glanced at the table, his eyes locked with the Harry Potter's, the boy seemed to complain before started to rub his scar. Perfect, just arrived and already looking for attention.

It was a week since the lessons started at Hogwarts and that afternoon was almost at the end too, Desideria entered the infirmary where Madama Pomfrey was visiting the last patient of the day, a first year student from Syltherin.

"Very well, you can put your shirt on, now. Desideria, here you are." the nurse smiled her as usual "Could you pass me the parchment on that table, please?" they cast the same spell on every student, it project on the parchment their parents name and every illness since the day they were born. Desideria took the results and started read before give them to Madama Pomfrey, a broken ankle at six, the usual children illness, she rose her look to read the student's name.

After five minutes Madama Chips decided to look why her assistant wasn't coming back, she move the curtain around the bed and saw the young nurse immobilized in the center of the room, a hand tight around the piece of parchment and the other on her mouth, the eyes full of tears.

"Desideria. Desideria, what's wrong? What happened?" when the girl didn't move the old nurse took the parchment from her hand trying to understand the problem. After five minutes the headmaster, the transfiguration and the potion professors were called in the infirmary.

Severus Snape had a horrible day. That morning he had to teach to the Syltherin and Gryffindor first years, already a difficult couple of hour, but adding Harry Potter in the mix means a secure disaster. The last thing he needs was spend the evening in the infirmary, above all if that Desideria Naiade was there, even if he should admit that fight with the young nurse helped him to vent some of his frustration.

Look around the infirmary was enough for his headache to appear.

Albus Dumbledore was looking out of one of the window, Minerva was giving a cup of the to a distraught Desideria and Madama Pomfrey was trying to put to bed one of his Syltherin who was eagerness protesting

"I'm not ill! I don't need to stay in the infirmary!"

"_I _am the nurse and _I_ decide who have to stay in the infirmary. Now, in bed with you, young man."

"I don't want to!"

"Draco Michael Malfoy!" every present turns towards him, even a certain boy who stopped immediately to protest "If Madama Pomfrey said that you had to stay in here, you most certainly will remain in here, am I clear?"

"But professor!"

"I said, am I clear?" he needed only to rose his famous hairbrown and cross the arms against his chest and Draco recognize defeat

"Yes, sir." so with the head low between the shoulders and a pout the boy went in the other room where the beds were, as soon as he closed the door Severus asked the nurse

"Why should Mr. Malfoy stay in the infirmary if he's not ill?" but the headmaster and not the nurse answered him

"We can say that some interesting news came out from Mr. Malfoy results."

"What do you mean?" this time Dumbledore give him the parchment to read

_Draco Michael Malfoy_

_Born: 5 June 1980, St. Mungo_

_Parent's name: Michael Smitson and Desideria Naiade_

"That's impossible!" the potion master turns towards the young nurse. Desideria was keeping the hot cup in her hands, but her wet eyes was glued on the floor "He can't be her son?" he shouted to no one in particular, he knew Draco since he was born and the boy was Lucius splitting image, it can't be.

The headmaster approached him placing a hand on his arm to calm him, at the same time trying to make the young nurse talk "Desideria, child, I'm sure you have an explanation, isn't it?" they keep quiet for a couple of minutes that appeared hours before Desideria start to talk, her voice suddenly ten years older

"My mother name is Josephine Naiade, she's a water nymph like me. She was twenty years old when she met Lucius Malfoy and she thought he was her mate, he stayed in Italy for a year due to business and they started to date. He promised to marry her so she wasn't worry when she discovered to be pregnant, but he had other idea. As soon as she told him, he said that he already had a fiancée here in England. He disappeared after few days and they never saw each other." No one had the nerve to spoke when she stopped to have a sip of the, almost if she was looking for the strength to continue her story, she told them everything letting the memory hurt her again "I always knew his name even if I never met him, I wasn't even sixteen and when I received that letter the only thing I could thought of was that I was finally going to know my father. He asked me to meet during one of the weekend during the school term, he said me to not say anything to my mother and I obeyed. For a whole year we met behind my family back, then, one day he arrived with a boy that he wanted me to meet. Michael Smitson. Merlin, I was in love. I discovered to be pregnant the week before my seventeen birthday, I run away from the school and went to Michael to tell him everything but…" she took a deep breath to avoid the tears to fall before continue

_She never felt so happy in her whole life. She was pregnant with his lover's baby! It was like flying. She managed to escape from the school and arrive in front of Michael house, she was going to knock to the door when she heard their voices_

"_Are you sure she's pregnant?" she hid behind a tree and started listen to them_

"_I give her the potion you said, Mr. Malfoy."_

"_And it worked?"_

"_I think so, and if it hadn't I'll try again next time."_

"_She must be pregnant before her mother knows about me because she'll never permit her to marry you."_

"_I talked to Desideria, I convinced her to not say a thing. We're safe."_

"_We are better being, Smitson, or I won't give you a sickle." she saw her father shadow walk away and with a broken heart she started to run._

"_It's a boy, child. A wonderful boy." her mother had taken her hands, her smile reached even the eyes, they both turn around hearing the nurse enter, disappoint wrote on their face when they didn't seem the already loved baby._

"_I'm so sorry, Miss."_

"_You're…you're sorry?" her heart stopped to beat in her chest "What happened? How's my baby?"_

"_The labor, perhaps it was to long…he didn't make it. I'm so sorry."_

"_No! It can't be!" the whole world fall on her head "My baby!" the nurse went out and she turned towards her mother shaking her head "Mum, my baby! It can't be!" she felt her arms enveloped her in a warm hug and cried till the last tear for that baby that she never saw._

"A potion, you said?" Severus looks in her eyes, for the first time with no malice or sarcasm, she assent slowly

"Headmaster, I think we should call Mr. Malfoy."

"Are you sure, my boy?" without move his eyes from the nurse, Snape answered him

"It's the only way to know what happened."

"What are we doing with Draco?" asked professor McGonagall throwing a worried glance towards the door

"Nothing for now but…" Severus stopped, turning towards the other room, but his look was nothing like the one McGonagall had "Draco, how many time I have to say you to not eavesdrop?" he didn't rise his voice, neither he move from his seat, but the two doors opened letting the boy in

"Are you really my mum?" he didn't apologize or look at the other teacher, he walked slowly stopping in front of Desideria

"Yes."

"Did you think I was dead?"

"So they said me. I'm…" fighting against the tears, the woman look him in the eyes "I'm sorry I believed them" the child observe her for a bit without a word, then he move again till their knees touch, with a voice only a bit above a whisper he asked

"Did you love me?" Severus couldn't look away from them, he knew Draco since he was born, he was his godfather and spent more time with the boy than his own father, only him could know how much pain was behind those simple questions, he comforted the boy infinity times when his parents refuse him even the simplest act of love and despite what he thought of that woman he pried she give the boy the right answer

"More than my life."

"And…do you want me still?"

"Sure" she almost yell the answer, after that she couldn't restrain herself, she encircled him with her arms and a tear appeared on her eyes when she felt two little arms tightening around her torso.

Draco fall asleep in her arms while she cuddle him like only a mother could do, unwilling she bring him to bed knowing she had other explanation to do.

"I didn't say you all." she enter the little room where the other teacher were having the talking about the better way to act, hearing her voice everyone turn around waiting

"I said you that my mother is a water nymph and that I'm one to, but I didn't say you that's a problem.

"Why?" Severus asked, worried about his godson

"The water nymphs belong to the water, to live with the human, muggles or wizards alike, we must follow some rules." She turn towards the Black Lake just out the window, looking for the strength in the slow movement of the water she prepare herself for the inevitable "The nymphs have a mate for the life, they could get engaged, even marry another man, but only near their mate they are complete. After a period of great confusion, our Council decided to do something and…we can live free with the humans, but if we didn't find our mate before we're twenty-eight we must come back to the water."

"I don't understand. You said Lucius was your mother mate and they're not married, so is your mother…"

"No. My mother thought Lucius was her mate, that's why she gave him everything, but he wasn't. She met her mate when I was two and they married. The problem is that I didn't find him yet and my birthday is at the end of October."

"What will happen to Draco if you don't find your mate?"

"I…I can't claim him as my own." she turn towards the other teachers, tears running on her face while she tried to explain "I'll be forced to go with the other nymphs and Draco is a male, I couldn't take him with me even if I want to."

"So," the headmaster spoke for the first time "if you find your mate you can claim Draco as you son?"

"Yes, but it isn't so easy."

"You promised that boy you wouldn't let him alone. Never!" Severus was furious, Draco couldn't stand such a pain "Your duty is find your damn mate!"

"It isn't so easy! Don't you think I want to stay with Draco? He's my son!"

"There's a stone to identify your mate." said the headmaster "It wasn't used in a long time but…"

"I already know who he is."

"And you say it only now?"

"I know _who_ he is but not _where_ he is!"

"Explain."

"When the nymph and the mate are ready to accept their relationship, the nymph start to have dreams about her mate identity, it's like she lives his life in first person. I dream about his childhood, the school years, but I don't know his name."

"Good." the headmaster claps his hands sitting more comfortable, like he was waiting for a fascinating story "Tell us what you know, my girl." she sat to and started talking

"I know he's a half-blood wizard, he lives with muggles until he was admitted here."

"An ex-student! It will be easier to find!" professor McGonagall seemed have find her enthusiasm

"He spend a lot of time with his nose in the book when he was a child, I don't think he had a lot of friend apart a girl who lived at the end of the street. I saw that once when…" she stopped hesitating, but she start again after a second "Once he fall down a tree and he got a strange scar on his arm and…"

"What kind of scar?" asked Madama Pomfrey

"I don't know it was like a sort of half moon cut in the middle. Another time I saw him talked with his friend while he explained her that she was a witch, her name was…" as soon as he the scar was named, Albus turn towards Severus that was turning paler at every word.

"My dear, I know exactly who's your mate." the tree women stared at the headmaster with their mouths open, but before they could asked for more explanation the potion Master stood making the chair fall down

"No! Impossible! Don't you dare say it aloud!"

"But Severus, the facts are clear and…"

"What facts? She's lying!"

"Why should I lie?"

"I don't know, but you're lying!"

"Severus!" Minerva tried to rebuke the young colleague

"I'm not lying! You're the one who's reacting so badly!"

"Desideria, please cont…" Madama Pomfrey tried to distract her assistant but it was useless

"You don't know what you're saying!"

"Me? You're…"

"Enough!" all the presents shut at the same time allowing the headmaster to talk "Miss Naiade, have you ever used a pensitive?"

"Yes, sir."

"Perfect." with a flick of his wand, Dumbledore make a little pensitive appear before address the two "Now, miss Naiade will put the memories of her dreams in here and after that you two are going to look together at them. Only after you do it we will talk about you two being mate, understood?" they both assent unwilling knowing full well that say no to Albus Dumbledore was pointless.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N I had problem with the updating but finally here we go!**

**CHAPTER 3- OH MY GOD!**

The three teachers stared at the pensitive until the two young returned in the room, Desideria was shaking her head disbelieving while Severus stood still with his arms cross and the lip in a thin line

"So I was right!" taken one of his lemon drop as prize for a successful plan, Dumbledore stood up coming near the two "Now, we have only to decide how to tell it to Mr. Malfoy."

"We can decide tomorrow, Albus. It's time for dinner and all the students are in the Great Hall." said professor McGranitt while she stood up, immediately follow by Madama Pomfrey.

"Sure, sure. Severus, Desideria are you coming?"

"No, I prefer stay with Draco."

"The last thing I need right now is being surround by all that brats." and so the three teachers let Desideria and Severus alone in the infirmary.

* * *

"Draco. Wake up, honey. Time to eat." Desideria started immediately to walk towards his son bed, follow by Severus

"He'll never wake this way."

"And you know it because you have such a vast experience as a father?"

"No, but know Draco for eleven years helped. Nothing could wake him up when he slept." Desideria reached out to shake her son shoulder, but Severus stopped her "However, he's already awake." seeing that he was caught, Draco opened his eyes smiling

"Good afternoon."

"Why were you pretending to sleep?"

"Because your son likes to listen in conversation he's not supposed to." for the hundredth time in that day, Severus crossed his arms and narrows his hairbrown

"Draco?" the young nurse turned again towards the little boy who was blushing

"I wasn't eavesdropping. I woke up and it would be rude to interrupt your conversation." he tried to defend himself, his mother sat on the bed and sighing asked

"What did you heard exactly?"

"That you're a nymph and Uncle Sev is your mate or something like that."

"Uncle Sev?" it was Severus turn to blush

"I already said you he's my godson and when he was little, unfortunately," he adds glaring at the little boy "decided to shorten my name in this way."

"All those words to say you have a nickname, _Sev_?"

"Nickname used only by my family, _Miss Naiade_." He said emphasizing her title, their little discussion was interrupted again by the little syltherin voice

"But, if he's you name it mean that you have to marry?" the two adults coughed embarrassed before answer

"We haven't decided yet, honey, but…hum…it's one of the possibilities, yes."

Severus called ad house elf for the dinner and the evening end without further embarrassing questions.

* * *

"Finally the fly lesson, Harry! I can't wait!" Ron Weasley was practically running towards the Quidditch pitch, stopping every now and then to wait his slower school mate "Aren't you excite?"

"Not really." answered the boy with a hesitant smile "I never used a broom, Ron, I'm more terrorized than excited."

"Don't even say it! Flying is the best thing in the world, you'll see!" the two friends reached their schoolmates, each of them near one of the broom professor Hooch put on the grass.

"Potter, still with the wrong people I see."

"Mind your own business, Malfoy." Harry said without turning, and before they exchanged became a real fight, professor Hooch started the lesson.

They were all ready to fly when Neville Longbottom lost control of his broom finding himself a few meters above his mates

"Mister Longbottom! I didn't give you permission to fly!" rebuke Madama Hooch "Come here right now!" but the young gryffindor answer was lost in the wind, the broom turned towards the castle walls, Neville lost his balance and fall right on the ground floor with a broken wrist. The teacher run towards him shouting at the others to not move and take the boy in the infirmary.

"That Longbottom is really stupid!" obviously the comment come from the Syltherin, precisely from Draco Malfoy "He can't even ride a broom."

"Let Neville alone, Malfoy." Yelled Ron, but the other boy was to engrossed looking for something in the grass to answer, he bent down and with a triumph smile he showed at the Gryffindor students what he found.

"It's look like Longbottom lost his rememberall." he said tighten his grip around the glass ball Neville's grandmother sent his last week,

"Give it to me, Malfoy." said Harry coming near

"Maybe I should, Potter, so you could remember whit whom you should hang out."

"I said, give it to me, Malfoy." he said again

"Come and get it." Draco challenge him, the blonde boy flied in the air, Harry take his broom, ignored Hermione who tried to dissuaded him and he follow Draco. The boys didn't stop until they were a few meters above they mates heads

"What do you think you're doing, Potter?"

"Help a friend, Malfoy. Can't you understand?"

"You could have been my friend. Those four empty-heads aren't worthy your effort."

"I'll never be friend with an arrogant like you, Malfoy. Now give me the rememberall." a rage flash passed in Draco's grey eyes before he answered

"Do you want it? Take it!" and he thrown the rememberall in the air.

* * *

Headmaster Dumbledore was sitting in his comfortable armchair enjoying his lemon drop while, at the other side of his desktop, Desideria and Severus carried on their discussion

"What, do you think I'm happy that you're my mate? You're so sarcastic, cynical and insensitive, always in bad mood…"

"You aren't exactly my ideal woman too, you know?"

They were both called in his office to talk about their situation, at first neither of them takes really part in the conversation, but as soon as the Headmaster named the wedding the air become suddenly hot, after gave them forty-five minutes to…clarify their positions, the old professor decided that it was time to return on the original topic

"Enough!" when they both were silenced and sat in their seat, the headmaster lean against the desktop "We all know that your relationships didn't start in the better term," Severus snorted and Desideria rolled her eyes, but neither of them opened the mount again "but we all agree that Draco is your priority." this time the two adults became still in their seat, Desideria knew that she wouldn't allow nothing and no one to take away her just found son and Severus knew that, even if he wasn't really fond at the nurse, they were going to be better parents than Lucius and Narcissa. The headmaster let the two though about his words before reintroduce the hot topic "You know that our only chance is the wedding, or Desideria will lose her son and Draco will return with the Malfoys. Now, I want you to think about something. We all know that Mr. Malfoy has a great influence at the Ministry and he's not going to think twice before annul your wedding and retake guardianship of Draco, right?" receiving two weak, but convince assent, Dumbledore add "I believe that the only way to avoid this is let Mr. Malfoy that you'll marry because you love each other."

"No one is going to believe it!" protest Desideria "Snape and I fight every time we see each other, people are going to have suspicious!"

"Lover fights aren't so rare, especially if you're overstress due to the wedding preparative." he answered with twinkling eyes

"But…" the woman didn't give up, but every further protest was cut off by Snape voice

"The Headmaster is right. If Lucius suspect the right, our wedding will be annul in a second, you will return with the other nymphs and, even if I couldn't image nothing better than see you every day, Draco is not going to be happy." knowing to be outnumbered and that Severus was right, even if she wasn't going to said that aloud, Desideria murmured her consent

"Fine!" professor Dumbledore was the happiest of the three "So, I was thinking to make an official announcement…"

* * *

Professor Snape and Miss Naiade just come out from the Headmaster office when Madama Hooch appeared from behind one of the corner, a sulking Draco in tower

"Severus, I was looking for you!" the teacher stooped in front of the colleague

"What happened? Don't you have a lesson with the first year?"

"Exactly! Mister Longbottom had a little accident and I had to take him in the infirmary, as soon as I was out of view Me. Potter and Mr. Malfoy decided to fly. They were at least ten meters above and I expressly order them to not move!"

"Draco, do you have a good explanation?" Snape cross his arms, moving a little hoping to prevent any intromission from Desideria part, only a few knew their secret and it wasn't the place or the time to reveal it, seeing that the boy wasn't going to said a single word, Madama Hooch start saying

"I didn't know the details, but from what the others students said me, it look like Mr. Potter and Mr. Malfoy started fighting for Mr. Longbottom rememberall and that they thought that a flying race was going to resolve things."

"Thank you Madama Hooch, I assure you that's not going to happen again." as soon as the teacher disappear around the corner, Desideria turn towards her son

"What happened, Draco? Why were you…" but before she could finish the sentence, Snape put a hand on the boy neck guiding him towards the dungeon

"That's not the better place for talk. Follow me." and so the little group start walking, the potion professor whisper the password to enter in his office but rather than stop at his desk he walk directly towards one of the bookcase, moved one of the book tidy lined up on the shelf letting them enter in what looked like a sitting room. Without a word, Snape marched towards the sofa and make Draco sit before cross his arms, again, narrow one hairbrown and said

"Explain, boy." Desideria follow him in silence, to stunned by the rapidity whit whom Severus took control of the situation to react, she stopped near him and now they were both looking at Draco who was sulking refusing to answer, but Severus wasn't a very patient man "You have three seconds, young man, after that you're going to spend every minute of you free time with Filch for the next month." the threat worked

"Potter wanted to be the hero and I satisfied him." answered the boy straighten the shoulders and adding with false bravery "I don't know why you're yelling at me, he was the one who fly after that stupid rememberall!"

"Who's Potter, one of your school mates?" Severus and Draco expression were priceless, only Snape high self-control allow him to not remain with his mount open like his godson

"_Harry Potter_ is the boy who lives, the only human to survive a Havada Kevadra, he almost killed the Dark Lord. It's a legend in England."

"How can you not know him?" the young nurse hidden a smile sawing her son incredulous face

"I grew in Italy, child, I came in England just a couple of days before school start. And no one answered my question, who is Harry Potter and why were you fighting?" start the conversation was enough to put a pout on Draco face

"Potter is a _gryffindor_," he explained, saying the last word like he just ate an every-flavour beans at earthworm "when Madama Hooch brought Longbottom in the infirmary I found the rememberall in the grass and Potter started yell that I had to give it back, like I wanted to steal it!" his voice raised at each word "I had to do something, Uncle Sev! It's not my fault that stupid Potter decided to follow me, it's only his fault we got caught! If he didn't try to be hero of the day I would never throw the rememberall and no one said him to fly in that way!" Draco was literally shouting, he even stood up but as soon as the last word come out of his lips, Severus bent down to look him in the eyes

"Sit down right now, little boy, and mind your tone." Draco obeyed immediately "Now," the potion master added standing again "fell free to interrupt me if I forget something. You refused to give back something that didn't belong to you, like it wasn't enough you decided to disobey a direct order of you teacher. Everything right?"

"Yes, sir. But Potter disobeyed to and no one punished him!"

"Mister Potter is not a syltherin, his head of house will deal with him and _I'm yours_. And I already told you to change that attitude if you don't want to continue this conversation bend over my knees. You're not…" but the lecture was interrupted by the really hesitant voice of the young nurse

"Severus, may I talk with you?" surprised by the rapid change of Desideria attitude, Severus limited to nod and point her the kitchen door before address his godson again

"I'm sure that a few minutes with your nose in the corner will help you to think about what you could have done. We'll talk about your punishment later." and the boy knew better than protest that tone.

* * *

"What are you going to do whit my son?" he hadn't enter the kitchen yet and she was already yelling at him

"I don't understand."

"You know very well what I'm talking about, Snape! Why on heart did you tell him that you were going to continue your conversation with _him over your knees_?"

"Because I mean it, and it's still going to happen if he doesn't change his attitude, Draco always needed a bit of discipline. Is that why you're yelling?"

"I'm not yelling! And you're not going to touch my son! I saw how your father kept the _discipline_ and I'm not going to allow you to do the same thing!"

"You saw it?" Severus tighten his fits and Desideria was forced to look away blushing

"My dreams."

"Your dreams." he repeat slowly, and with a surprising kind voice he asked "Do you really think that I will do the same thing to Draco?" the nurse looked again in his eyes and remembered that the evening before, thinking that no one was looking, Severus tucked Draco in bed stroking his hair before say goodnight, that man wasn't going to hurt his son

"No. No, I'm sorry, Severus. It's only that…when you said it I remembered my dream and…I shouldn't…"

"No need to apologize. He's your son and it's normal that you're worried." they sat looking in each other eyes for a bit before Desideria find the nerve to broke the silence

"Severus, do you think I should punish him? Because he disobeyed Madama Hooch, I mean."

"He could have been hurt flying in that way without an adult supervision."

"Right." the young nurse couldn't look in his eyes, she just find her son and she had already to ground him, she felt so bad but luckily Severus seems to read in her thoughts

"You only find him yesterday, I could deal with him."

"I'm the mother."

"And in less than two weeks I'll be the father." it was the first time he recognized aloud that they were going to have a life, a family together "And, after all, I'm the mean ugly bat of the dungeon, it's not good for my reputation if somebody discovered that I let my wife do the dirty job." Desideria started laughing, she never thought that the cold professor Snape has such sense of humor

"So I'll be the sweet mummy while you'll be the mean parent?" she asked amused and swear that he was hiding a smile too

"That's what I do better, Desideria."

"What are we going to do with Draco?"

"We'll ground him for two weeks and we use him to help us organize that stupid party the Headmaster want to do for the wedding."

"Good and sneaky," she said somehow pleased "but make it one week. He had a rough day yesterday, he deserve a bit of understanding."

"You win, but not make it an habit." The teacher turner towards the door, but the nurse voice stopped him with a hand on the handle

"Severus?"

"A week, Desideria, not a day less."

"I know. I want to ask you…since when we used ours given names?" he seemed to think for a second before turn again and say

"We're engaged, Desideria. I think it's inevitable."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N I'm so sorry the update was so delayed!! I found this chapter really difficult to write so be nice, please!!!!! And don't forget to review!!!**

**CHAPTER 4- OUT THE OLD AND IN THE NEW**

As soon as they re-entered the living room, Desideria told her son to come out of the corner and sit on the couch with them, but before they could start talking, a house elf appeared in the middle of the room. The young nurse had to admit that she was the house elf with the most beautiful clothes she ever seen, she was wearing a blue dress with a little white apron, a big blue hat, she had a piece of parchment in the hands that she gave immediately to Severus.

"Headmaster Dumbledore said Cindy to give it to you, Master Snape, sir."

"Thank you, Cindy." said Severus that after few seconds stood and went to the door of his office "The Headmaster need me to solve…something." he explained "Cindy, take care of Desideria and Draco until I came back, please, and you two don't leave this quarters for nothing in the world."

"I must go back in the infirmary and Draco can…" the woman said

"No. You two don't move, Cindy tell Madama Pomfrey that Desideria won't go back in the infirmary until I'll say otherwise."

"No! Cindy…" but the house elf was gone before the nymph could talk "Snape, you can't order me around! Came back!" but the professor was already out. Desideria glared at the door for two whole seconds before turn towards her son

"Stand up, Draco, we're going out."

"Out?" the boy looked at her confused, not sure if it was better obey his godfather orders or his mother's "Uncle Sev said…"

"I heard him, but I have work to do. Came on." Draco decided that nothing could be worse than spend the rest of the afternoon in that room and follow his mother.

* * *

"Where's my son, Dumbledore?" the note from the Headmaster wasn't very clear, but he knew that Lucius was at Hogwarts and he wanted Draco

"Lucius, what bring you here?" the potion master said with false surprise

"Severus, finally someone who I can talk with!" Lucius turned towards the professor, shoulders straight and face full of arrogance "Imagine my surprise when Zabini Sr. owled me this morning and told me that Blaise was worried about Draco, he said that my son didn't came back from the infirmary the other day, now, how came that nobody told me something like that!" Severus wasn't fooled by that false worry

"Children, Lucius, they're always exaggerating. Draco is fine."

"If he's fine I want to see him!" Mr. Malfoy wasn't an easily fooled man, he fell that something was wrong

"Draco is in class, no need to disturb him for something like this." Lucius decided to not investigate further, but two voices from the corridor captured his attention.

* * *

"He'll be angry!" the boy had yet to stop worry

"Don't worry, Draco, professor Snape has only to learn that nobody can order me around." as soon as they entered the infirmary, Desideria stopped with her eyes glued on the last person in the world that she wanted to see "Malfoy." he was still like she remembered, long blonde hair, the cane in his hand, he turned towards her and start talking

"DO I know you, miss?" for a second Desideria eyes darkened, her fingers closed in a fist, but the voice that came out her lips was extraordinary gentle

"I'm the new nurse." and from that very moment she was nothing in Malfoy's eyes

"Draco, what are you doing here? Severus said that you had lesson."

"I…" the boy look around frantically, he knew that it was the calm before the storm and he didn't want to be in the middle, luckily the Headmaster decided to help him

"Draco, my boy, just in time. The boy is perfectly fine, Mr. Malfoy, no need to worry about him." at the same time the Potion Master went near his student ready to defend him as soon as the fireworks begun

"Why did they keep you in here, Draco?" Lucius Malfoy was an experienced syltherin and he immediately noticed the other men change of positions and his son nervousness so he bring the hand near his wand

"Draco exams had interesting results." the young nurse goes near him blocking his visual of the other two wizards

"What do you mean, miss?"

"His parents name, mister Malfoy, is another."

"Impossible!" finally the blonde wizard turn towards her "Draco is my son!"

"I did the spell and Draco is not your son."

"You're an incompetent! Draco is my son and you should be dismissed miss…"

"Naiade. Desideria Naiade." Lucius turn pale in an instant, he looked at her with an open mount and when he found his voice again, it was shaking and uncertain

"It can't be. How did you arrive here?"

"They were looking for a nurse." was her answer "I want to know how Draco arrived here." heard his son name shake Lucius from his thoughts

"Draco is my heir!"

"Your heirs is not your son!" Malfoy eyes traveled like crazy between Draco and Desideria, he felt trapped

"You can't prove it!" he shout point his wand at her head "You can't prove anything!" Desideria didn't move, but in a second Malfoy's wand was flying towards the infirmary wall

"Draco is my son and I want him back." a sinister laugh come from the wizard, an oblique smile was enough to let them know that he had regain his usual arrogance

"You can't have him. Michael told me that you haven't find your mate yet and that mean that you have to go back to those nymphs. You can't take Draco with you."

"You have too much trust in Michael, _father_." she said, her voice low even if her eyes were flashing with rage "I have a mate."

"Impossible! Who?"

"Severus." Malfoy turn towards the potion master who had an arm around Draco shoulders and the wand ready to strike

"Liar! Severus can't be your mate!"

"He is and we're getting married in two weeks. Draco stay with me."

"No!" Lucius make the mistake to stretch out his hand trying to grab the boy, but before he could touch the little syltherin an invisible force trapped him against the wall

"Don't touch my son, Malfoy." everyone turn towards Desideria, she had yet to move from her original position, but now a red aura was encircled her, Malfoy felt really less safe when he saw her eyes darkened until they were black like the night "I really should kill you for what you did to me."

"I…I'm your father."

"Shut up!" the potions lined along the shelves start to tremble "How could you take Draco?" Malfoy fell on his knees, head press between his hands

"Go out from my mind!"

"No! Tell me how you did it!"

"Imperius! The nurse did what I told her! Please!"

"Why?" the magic in the room was palpable, Draco was literally hiding behind his godfather, eyes fixed on his mother

"Your power! He has some of yours…stop it!"

"Why?" she asked again rising her voice

"Vol…Voldemort. He need your power for the war."

"You used my son for your stupid war?"

"You wouldn't allow me!" the aura that surround the nymph exploded destroying everything near them, the beds were throw towards the walls, the windows and the potions shattered in thousands of pieces

"How could you? I'm your daughter!" but Lucius didn't have the strength to talk anymore, the nymph lower her voice until it was only a whisper, bend her head towards him and she murmured in his ear "I really wish your death, but I assure you that my revenge will be thousands times worse!" and with a rapid flick of her hand he was gone.

* * *

"Seeker! Harry is wonderful!" as soon as they reach the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall, Ron literally shout to everyone the news, in few minutes the two boys were surrounded by their enthusiastic house mates and before the end of dinner the whole school know about Harry

"Wood said I'm the youngest seeker in the last century!"

"I envy you, mate. I can't wait next year and try to enter the team! Ehi, maybe we can beat those stupid syltherin!" Ron and Harry were talking animatedly walking towards their dormitory when a familiar voice interrupted them

"You're liar, Potter!" turning around, Harry found himself face to face with Draco Malfoy and his followers, Crabbe and Goyle didn't leave him alone a second since the first day

"Liar?" he repeat uncertain

"Yeah, liar Potter. First year can't have their own broom figures if they can be part of the Quidditch team! You're a liar!"

"That's not true!" Ron intervene immediately to defend his friend "Wood said that Harry is great! The best seeker of the century!"

"Impossible!"

"It is! Ask McGonagall if you don't believe me!" realizing that Harry Potter was really the seeker of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, Draco lost it. Before dinner, Severus told him that he had to help his mother with the engagement party for the whole week and, like it wasn't punishment enough, he had to sleep in his godfather quarters for the next seven days because his bedtime was an hour early

"You'll pay, Potter!"

"Mind your own business, stupid syltherin! You envy Harry 'cause his in the team and you're not!"

"Shut up, Weasley! I…I challenge you to duel!"

"Duel?" Ron look disbelieving, Harry only confused

"Yes, Weasley, a duel and now close your damn mount or maybe Potter is too stupid to talk on his own?"

"I'm not stupid! When and where, Malfoy, I'll be there." Said the little gryffindor finding his courage

"Midnight, the third floor corridor. Crabbe and Goyle will come with me."

"I'll come with Harry!" said the redhead without hesitation

"Fine. See you later, Potter…if you have the nerve to came, that's it"


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N Ok, I discovered that my life is really complicated!! I have a lot more lesson this semester so I really couldn't update early (but this chapter is longest I ever write and I hope it's enough to be forgiven! :D). Now, I have a few things to share with you, first of all I think my Draco is a bit out of character so I want to know what you think, should I let him this way or try to make his a spoiled brat again? Someone asked why they didn't find anything off in Harry's exam and the only thing I can say is…you'll see!!!! :P**

**CHAPTER 5- DUELS AND ENGAGEMENTS part 1**

"I said don't move! Was it so difficult to understand?"

"You can't order me around, Snape and you'd better understood it pretty quickly!"

"What? How dare you! I swore to protect you!"

"And I never agree to have a protector!"

"I don't care if you agreed or not, woman, I am!"

"You're not!"

"I am!"

"No!"

"Children!" finally the two adults end their little fight and look at the Headmaster who stand near a really pale Draco, the nymph look from the still furious potion professor to a probably scared son and maternal instincts won out

"Draco, honey, is everything ok?" the boy doesn't move "Come on, baby, you can tell me. Lucius scared you?"

"Don't be stupid! He lived with Lucius for eleven years!" say Severus behind her

"And that's a good reason to be afraid, mister know-it-all!" she answered before trying to talk again with her son "Everything ok now. Lucius won't come back, I swear." the young nurse move closer to the boy but freeze on the spot an instant later.

As soon as his mother tried to approach him, Draco flinch violently and out of reflex run to his godfather to hid behind him, the man put a reassuring hand on his shoulder and look first at an equally clueless Dumbledore and finally at his formally fiancé whose eyes were full of tears. The professor was, like always, the one that has to understand the reason behind such strange reaction

"You aren't afraid of Lucius, are you?" he feel his godson head shook against his leg, he put a finger under the boy chin and when their eyes met he asked again "Why are you scared then?" the boy didn't answer "Draco, I can't help you if you don't tell me what's wrong."

"Are you scared of…me?" they both turn towards the nymph but the potion master find himself looking at the old headmaster as soon as his godson nod.

She saw the answer in her son eyes before he managed to nod against his godfather leg, his wide eyes glued on her

"Draco." Severus called him with a surprising gentle voice making Desideria remember the boy of her dreams "Draco, why are you scared of your mother?" without taking his eyes off the nymph, he said in a small voice

"She blew everything up. Not even Father could do it."

"Oh yes, it seems that our young Desideria is quite a powerful witch, my boy." the headmaster find his voice, completed with the amused twinkle in his eyes

"Father powerful too but he can't blow up a whole room."

"And that mean that your mother is more powerful than Lucius." admitted the potion master revealing a bit of envy

"That could be. Your mother is part nymph, child, probably her magic is less controllable than ours."

"It's not like that, headmaster." and again the men attention was focused on the nymph even if she was looking only at her son "Nymph magic works a little different." with a sigh the woman invoke a chair and sit trying to explain in simple words the complicate magic of the nymphs "Only woman can be nymph, that mean that if a nymph has a son he will be half nymph and half muggle or wizard, like you, but if a nymph has a daughter she will be totally nymph, like me. Nymph magic is more powerful that wizard one, we don't need wand or spell to…"

"You can do _wordless wandless_ magic?" her son interrupted and this time Draco eyes were full of curiosity and not fear, she smiled

"Of course and you can do it too with a bit of practice."

"Cool!" and with that the boy stands in front of his godfather, still far from her but at least he wasn't afraid anymore

"Yes, but that's not all. We can also read other people minds…"

"That's what you did with Father, isn't it?"

"Exactly, my boy! When I entered his mind you could see his memories, his thoughts…"

"That's legilimency, Miss Naiade, I could do it to." said Severus with his usual haughty tone

"Not exactly, Snape, although legilimency is really similar to our power. The difference is that occlumency could fight a mental intrusion, shall we say, but nothing and I mean nothing could throw a nymph off your mind if she wants to stay _in_." Desideria explain at the potion master with a little, but definitely devil, smile before address again her son "Anyway, we could also see the future even if we couldn't decide what." she add with an annoyed grimace

"And you could blown up the whole room!" remembered the boy excited making she smile

"Yes, that too. If we're attacked we could…well, it's difficult to explain. Let's say that it's like our power came out from us and strike our opponent. It's a useful defence but it's also dangerous."

"Why?"

"Well, like the wizards, our emotions influence magic. I was very, very angry and so I couldn't control that explosion. I'm sorry that I scared you."

"That's ok." finally the boy move from Severus's side and stood near his mother "I wasn't scared only…surprised, that's it." he said with all the pride of an eleven-years-old

"Wonderful! It's always interesting to learn something new, don't you think Severus?" the headmaster exclaim "I'm glad everything's fine but I'm sure you have still some family matters to solve." and with that he was gone letting the potion master alone with an over-excited preteen and a stubborn former fiancé

"You're sure Father won't come back?"

"Lucius." Severus said before the young nymph could answer, Draco need to understand that Lucius and Narcissa weren't his real parents "Lucius is Miss Naiade's father, not yours. You should get used to it and stop calling him Father."

"Snape! There's no need to be so rude!"

"He has to understand."

"I know but you could be…"

"He's right." Draco's soft voice interrupted her tirade "I always knew they didn't love me. It's not a big problem." Desideria doesn't know what to say. Lucius was an awful father with her too, but she had her mother and her family, Draco had to live all of this alone, following her instinct the nymph enveloped her son in a warm hug

"You're not alone, Draco. We're a family now and you're going to have the best childhood ever! I swear."

* * *

"But that's not fair!" after the afternoon events, Severus decided that he need a tea and he had the brilliant idea to invite Desideria and Draco in his quarters to join him. Unfortunately, he also though that it was a good times to tell the boy about the punishment and now he had to face the obvious consequences. "It wasn't my fault!"

"We already had this discussion, Draco." he was grateful that, at least, the nymph seems to be on his side because his already thin patient was quickly wearing off

"You never talk about punishment!"

"Bad behavior is always punished, Draco, and I'm sure you know it."

"But a whole week!" the boy was definitely whining and that only take his godfather's headache to a new and more painful level

"Stop it, boy! You're grounded. Deal with it and stop complains or I'll make it two weeks."

"You wouldn't!"

"Came on, love, no need to react this way." the nurse tried again to calm her son before he finds himself in more trouble

"I said stop it, Draco and I mean it. You're on thin ice, young man, that's your last warning."

"Your punishment will be over before you know it, honey. We'll have fun." she tried to reassure her son for the hundredth time that evening

"But I don't want to!"

"You'll help your mother with the party organization, end of the discussion."

"I won't help her! That's a woman job not mine!" Severus was ready to dole out a few good swats on his godson backside but he was stopped by the angry voice of his fiancé

"Draco Michael Malfoy! You'd better rethink it pretty quickly if you don't want to spend the next week in your room!" Draco stood speechless while Severus sat again in his armchair with renovate respect for the woman, it looks like she had limits too "I knew enough chauvinist in Italy and I assure you I have no intention to raise one! You will do exactly what I tell you to do and I swear the first time you dare to complain I will send you to your room before you could say Quidditch, am I clear?" the boy was literally shocked, he stood wide-eyed in front of the couch looking at his mother, and Severus has to admit that the woman was pretty good with the angry-mum routine

"I'm waiting for an answer, young man!" definitely scary

"Yes, ma'Am." his godson said with a totally new docile attitude, he could see the nymph eyes soften as soon as the boy answer

"Very good. Now, what about a chess game?"

* * *

Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley were silently leaving their room ready to go at the duel with Malfoy

"Are you sure he said the third floor?"

"The answer is always yes, Ron! And don't talk aloud or they'll hear us!"

"Sorry." the little gryffindor murmur to his friend

"What do you think you're doing boys?" and said boys couldn't restrain a groan

"Why are you awake, Granger?" the redhead asked at the girl sitting on the couch in the common room

"I'm studying."

"Figure." Ron whisper in his friend ear making him snigger "We have to go out."

"Out? It's nearly midnight!"

"So what?"

"Curfew was hours ago! You can't go out!" the girl closes her book with a loud sound and stood in front of the two boys "You will get caught!"

"Gee, thanks Granger, you're really encouraging!" Ronald Weasley was really getting annoyed with the girl

"I'm just realist, Weasley. Why are you going out?" she asked again

"You look like a dog with a bone, I swear. Anyway it's a matter of honor, Granger. A male thing, you can't understand."

"Will you stop bickering?" asked Harry throwing a glance toward the boys' dormitory "If the upper years heard us we're not going out at all!"

"And you shouldn't!"

"Stop it, Hermione!" even the usually quite green eyed boy had had enough of her haughty attitude "We need to go out, now you either go back at your reading or came with us but you can't say it to anyone."

"Came with us? You're totally crazy, mate! She can't!"

"She's smart, Ron. She can help us if something's wrong." the girl's eyes lit up hearing the implicit compliment

"Ok, I'll come. Where are we going?"

"The third floor."

"The thi…" she start yelling and two hands shoot up to her mouth

"Shut up, will you?" hiss Ron "Malfoy's waiting for us with his friends." after a murderous glance at the boys, Hermione shook her head dislocating their hands from her mount

"Ok. But I swear if someone sees us I'll tell everything!"

"Deal!"

* * *

"What are you doing in here, Snape?" she was clearly ready to go in bed. The nymph, or better his fiancé was wearing a red nightdress capable to make even the most innocent man drool, it was the first time that he saw her hair undo, a thick dark fall that asked to be touched. "Snape?" her annoyed voice broke the moment

"Draco forgets this in my quarters." he said holding out the boy's transfiguration book "He will need it tomorrow."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome." he looks around for a bit and for the first time in ages the Potion Master decided to start a mundane conversation "When did you arrive in Scotland?"

"Less than a month ago, why?"

"I thought more, you speak English very well."

"Thank you." Desideria doesn't know how to feel, she was glad that they could have a civil conversation, but his sudden curiosity was definitely out of character

"Did you study it at school?" she smiles. The young nymph really couldn't restrain herself, the most feared professor of all Hogwarts was standing in the middle of her living room touching oh-so-nonchalantly everything in sight to hid his nervousness

"Since I was eight, everybody in Italy studies English since primary school. When I went to the DaVinci Institute, our version of Hogwarts, I decided to continue to study it because I knew that my father was English. It was like have a sort of connection with him. Stupid, isn't it?"

"No, I don't think so. You were a girl that wants to know her father, there's nothing wrong with it. God only knows what I did for my father even if he was a bastard."

"I know." she murmur

"You know?" he seems confused for a second but realization hit him "Your dreams, I almost forgot. You're still having them?"

"Oh, yes. I will have those dreams until I understand you, I mean your character, the way you act and let me say you, Mister Snape, that you're quite a complicated man. I don't think they will end soon."

"I'm sorry?" he seems uncertain

"No need to be. They're really useful, you know?" a sudden noise makes her turn toward the door

"What was that?" asked Severus, wand in hand

"I don't know, but I think it was in Draco's room."

"Probably a nightmare." hypothesizes the potion master but his worry was short lived.

* * *

Draco Malfoy went to sleep already dressed to save time, at half past eleven he was ready for the duel. The boy heard his mother walking towards the living room and talking with someone, cursing his bad luck the little slytherin sat near his new bedroom's door waiting to sneak out as soon as possible. He needs to go, he couldn't look like a coward in front of Bloody-Potter!

At five minutes to midnight he was sure that whoever was talking with his mother was a loquacious. What were they talking about? Huffing in annoyance he returned to bed only to trip over his own books and fall on the floor with a loud thud. For a couple of seconds he was sure that his mother, thank to God, didn't hear anything, but his door was suddenly opened reveling not only his worried parent but his godfather too. How luck!

* * *

A mere second was enough to understand that his godson was up to something, it was almost midnight, he was supposed to be in bed at least three hours ago but he was still dressed.

"What do you think you're doing, little boy?"

"Hum…I need the bathroom." said boy answered still sitting on the floor

"Why aren't you in your pyjamas?" the potion master asked knowing full well that his godson was lying

"I forgot?"

"You didn't." Desideria said standing near Snape "When I come to tuck you in you were most certainly wearing your pyjamas." when the boy decide that silence was the best option, Severus grab him by the arm making him standing

"What were you doing?" he asked again

"I think the best question is where he was going?" said the nymph, involuntary imitating Severus's position, arms crossed and a deep frown on her face

"That too. No need to worry, your son is a gentleman, I'm sure he's going to answer both of our question, don't you, Mr. Malfoy?" and Draco know from personal experience that when his godfather call him Mr. Malfoy in private it could mean only trouble. He tried, he really tried to be stoic and not answer but after five minutes under the potion master's infamous glare he starts talking

"I was going out." he said in a small voice

"That was quite obvious, boy. I want to know _why_ you were going out."

"I…I had to meet someone?"

"Was that an answer or a question?"

"A…an answer, sir."

"And who were you meeting with?" Draco was a cleaver boy and a good slytherin, he was perfectly aware that his Head of House want a straight answer and that his godfather _pretend_ the truth, so with a resigned sigh he bent the shoulder and whispers

"Potter, sir."

"Excuse me?"

"I…I said that I was supposed to meet with Potter."

"Why?" oh, Merlin! One word sentences mean HUGE trouble. Trouble with a capital T and a sore backside at the end

"We…we want to talk about…stuff."

"Do you think I'm stupid, boy? You two fight at every turn and now you want to talk?"

"We…I mean…" and at the end Draco's anxiety about the soon to follow punishment make his usual self-control evaporate "It's his fault! He's the one who come in the Great Hall full of himself 'cause Wood made him a Seeker! That's so unfair! Harry Bloody Potter's a seeker and I'm grounded!"

"How was sneak out at midnight going to solve this situation?" asked the potion master apparently calm

"We were going to duel! This way he would understand that he's just a blo…"

"Duel? You were going to duel?" at this point Desideria decide to intervene, she made a step toward her son moving her hand on her hips and adding a fierce glare for good measurement "That's the most idiot thing I ever heard! Duel is dangerous, you could have been hurt! You could die dueling! I don't want to ever, and I mean EVER, hear that you even THINK to do something so stupid! You understand me, little boy?"

"I'm…I'm sorry." Draco never thought that his mother could be so much scary, her glare could definitely overcome Snape'

"And you should be! Now, where is this other dunderhead of a boy?"

"The third floor."

"The…! Have you a death wish, boy?" she know what the Headmaster hid there and above all she know who was guarding it, Desideria turn toward Severus after a final glare at her son "I'm going to find that Potter before he gets hurt." and she disappear behind the door before the professor had a chance to said something.

* * *

Severus Snape was really impressed by the fierce tongue lashing Desideria gave her son, he didn't even have the time to realize what his godson said before she starts scolding. Anyway that wasn't the moment to think about that new side of his fiancé, his soon to be son was waiting.

"I don't need to tell you that what you were going to do is wrong, do I?"

"No, sir."

"I told you more than once that dueling is really dangerous if you aren't trained."

"I know, uncle Sev."

"So why were you going to do it?" a single tear escaped the little slytherin's eyes but he didn't answer. Snape sighed and sat on the bed with the boy between his knees "Draco, why did you do it?" he asked again in a gentler tone

"I don't know." the boy whisper

"Well, who decide for a duel in the first place?"

"I did."

"Why?"

"Because he's a spoiled brat, uncle Sev! Even you said so!" the boy defend himself "He's the Gryffindor new Seeker, and he's just a first year. I can't have my own broom and he's in the team! That's not fair!" Severus didn't know how to answer that. He really despises the Potter brat, so like his father, pampered like a prince by the family Dumbledore put him with ten years ago. If he was a Slytherin he would give the brat detention till the end of the semester, but Potter was a Gryffindor and Minerva was obsessed with Quidditch. It looks like the Quidditch Cup was more important than a student to her.

"I know, Draco, but life isn't fair. Anyway you know better than to challenge someone on a duel, don't you?" at the boy nod he continue "And you know that you can't wonder around the castle after hour, especially in a forbidden part of it." another nod paired with a tear "In less than a day you disobeyed at least three school rules and two of mine, almost put yourself in danger and curse twice. Almost a record." with a look at the bended fair head, the potion master decide to put the little boy out of his misery. He put the slytherin over his lap holding him against his torso, and wanting nothing more that to hug the little boy he starts the spanking

"You don't SWAT sneak out SWAT after curfew SWAT especially if SWAT you're grounded. SWAT You don't go SWAT in a forbidden corridor SWAT and you don't duel SWAT with anyone. SWAT It's dangerous!" SWAT

Draco was in tears from the third smack and when his godfather help him upright he continue to cry, even after the man hug him and rube soft circle in his back to calm him down he didn't stop to cry and after five minute of tears Severus start to worry.

"Why are you still crying, Drake?" the little boy start sobbing but didn't answer "Come on, little one, tell me. I give you sounder spanking and you didn't carry on this way." more silence "Draco, answer me, please. Did I hurt you so bad?"

"'s not th't." his godson voice arrived muffled by his robe

"Why are you crying than?"

"I was too bad."

"No, Draco. You made a couple of mistakes but you're not bad, just a bit naughty."

"But she was so mad!"

"Who? Desideria?" asked Severus without understand why the boy was so miserable, he fell a little head nod against his chest

"She won't me anymore."

"Why are you saying that?"

"'cause I make her mad." the boy's voice was laced with sadness and the potion master didn't know how to consulate him, fortunately Desideria arrive in that precise moment

"Oh, baby! Why are you crying?" she immediately kneel near her son adding her own rubbing at Severus', the potion master fell the boy tense hearing his mother voice

"Draco think you don't want him anymore because of what happened." he explain

"What? Really?" she take her son chin in her hand obliging him to look her in the eyes "Baby, you really think that?" the boy kept looking at her but didn't answer "Draco, I still want you. I love you with all my heart, baby, you could be a professional murderer and I will still love you." she said smiling a bit "You're my son and that's why I love you. I don't care if you're the best student in the world or if you have all T, I will love you anyway. Always and forever, I swear." taking advantage of her son disbelief, the nymph enveloped him in a maternal warm hug.

"I'm sorry I did it." the boy whisper in her neck

"You're more than forgiven, _amore mio_." Draco free himself from her hug

"What did you say?"

"It's Italian, it means 'my love'." that seems enough for the boy

"Well, I don't care what she said. You're not allowed to have all T." the potion master thrown in half to light up the mode and half to chase away his jealousy

"I know, uncle Sev." his godson say smiling

"Well, that said I think we had to talk about your punishment…" the nurse sentence was interrupted by Severus authoritarian voice and her son's worried head shake

"I already take care of that."

"You did?" she asked looking between the two until Draco admitted with a blush

"Uncle Sev spanked me." Severus was ready for a fight, but he was surprised by her nod of consent

"Perfectly. That means that it's time that a certain little boy goes to sleep."

**IF YOU'RE STILL READING, THANK YOU!!! DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW!!!!!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N Another chapter for you! And in less than a week!!!! Feel free to point me the mistakes, I will try to fix them all. Good read!!**

**p.s. A big THANK YOU who everyone who reviewed, I'm still trying to figure out how to reply to you personally. -.-' Sorry but technology and I just didn't get along ;)**

**CHAPTER 6- DUELS AND ENGAGEMENTS PART 2**

After put her son to bed, Desideria went back in the living room followed by the potion master, she conjured two cups of tea and started drinking.

"Well?" Severus asked sounding a bit impatient

"Well what?" she kept staring at the carpet

"Potter, Desideria. What happened with Potter?" he asked with an annoyed tone

"Oh, that. Nothing." and the nymph didn't explain further. Severus studied her face for a few minutes without knowing if she was being evasive on purpose or if something was really worrying her. She kept her cup of tea in her hands, her brows frowned in concentration and her eyes focused on something far away, something that only she could see

"Something happen, Desideria?"

"I think." the nurse drank a sip of tea before starting to talk in quietly "I was going to the third floor but I stopped to the infirmary to take a couple of potions, I thought that I was going to need them if the kids found Fluffy. I…When I touched the handle of the infirmary door I had a vision. You know, nymphs can…"

"You tell me already, go on. What did you see?"

"I saw us. We were in the Headmaster's office and he was talking about an attack. I think someone will try to enter Hogwarts to steal the philosopher stone."

"You know when it will happen? We have to tell Albus…"

"I saw some Halloween decorations in the office, but that's not all. The Headmaster was telling us to take care of our _sons_." the potion master chokes in his tea and coughed violently

"_Sons_? As in more than one?" he asked as soon as he has control over his breath again "That's impossible. I mean we're not even married and Halloween is in less than a month."

"I know." she sighed. Severus and she had just start to get along and, mate or not, they could not conceive a baby before Halloween. They sat in silence for a few minutes, until Desideria manage to refocus her attention on the present "Anyway, I was surprised by the vision so when I arrived on the third floor the kids were no longer there."

"I'll talk with Minerva first thing in the morning. Those little brats shouldn't be able to sneak out from their dorm so easily." he said walking toward the door. He was almost out of her quarters when Desideria's voice called him back

"Severus, I'm sorry."

"What for?"

"Well, I was enjoying our conversation. I'm sorry that we had to end it." she was glad for the weak candles light that covered her blush

"Tomorrow is Wednesday." he said turning again toward her

"I know." she said confused

"Well, I don't have lesson on Wednesday morning." the potion master informed her in a soft tone and Desideria smiled understanding his intentions

"Do you like Italian coffee?"

"I love coffee." he said closing the door again.

* * *

Also the last student had been visited and Desideria was arranging the archives of the infirmary

"How are you today, my dear?" Madama Pomfrey entered the infirmary smiling "Have you and Severus ceased the hostilities already?" she asked knowingly

"I'm fine, thank you. And yes, somehow we manage to talk for more than five minutes without killing each other." she answered blushing. The night of the averted duel, she and Severus talked about everything and anything and, for the first time since she arrived at Hogwarts, she recognized in the Potion Master the boy of her dreams. They stayed awake until three in the morning talking and even if they weren't friends yet at least they had reached a truce.

"I'm glad you did. Now, what are you doing?"

"I'm just dividing the results of the visits by the House of belonging and alphabetical order."

"You're really a perfectionist, aren't you?"

"I think I am." the nymph blushed again "Anyway, I was ordering the first years Gryffindor files, but there's a problem."

"What kind of problems, dear?" asked the nurse approaching

"Here." Desideria took out a parchment from the pile in front of her and showed it at the older witch "Look at the bottom of the page, the right side. Did you see it?"

"Of course. That's your signature, it means that you made the spell. Half of these parchments have your signature at the bottom, what's the problem?"

"The problem is that I never made the spell on this child."

"Desideria, there are more than eight hundred students in Hogwarts and you're here for less than a month. You can't remember every single student on which you made the spell." the old nurse said with patience as if talking with a little child

"I know, but he is different. Draco is always complaining about how this boy is always treated in a special way by the teachers and the incident during the flight lesson has only made things worse."

"Flight lesson?"

"Yes, he and Mr. Potter had a little discussion about a rememberall."

"You mean those are Mr. Potter's results?" the nurse asked, her voice incredulous

"They are," she answered "but the signature isn't the only problem." the old witch stared at her waiting for an explanation "It's just that the results are so perfect. Too much. I mean, not even a scrapped knee or a simple flue, I would not have noticed but Severus told me that the boy was attached by an Unforgivable." she looked at the other woman who was shaking her head from side to side while frantically reading the results of the examination

"It's literally impossible. An Unforgivable leaves a track, always! These can't be his results."

"That what I thought too. I think it's better to repeat the spell."

"You're right and we're going to do it immediately." the older woman said firmly invoking a piece of parchment that Desideria had never seen

"What's that?"

"This is a complete program of all the activities taking place in Hogwarts, from lessons to Quidditch practice. It's a simple way to know where every student should be. Let's see, first year gryffindor. Wonderful. He's in the dungeons for the Potion lesson." the nurse seemed satisfied "Would you be so kind to go and get him?"

"Me? Why don't you send and house elf?"

"Because they can't enter any class during the lesson, dear. And after all, you should be glad to have the opportunity to see your beloved boyfriend." the woman added with a mischievous smile

"Very well. I'll go." she said resigned.

* * *

Desideria stood just outside the potions class' door, her heart was pounding in her chest, and she was rubbing her sweaty hands on her nurse uniform. Merlin, she feels like a bloody teenager at her first date. Cursing under her breath, the nymph opened the door.

Almost thirty heads turns towards her at the same time, twenty-nine unknown little kids and her son.

"Nurse Naiade, why are you honoring us with your presence?" Severus' sarcastic voice welcomed her in the classroom, she was use to it, but after yesterday night chat his cold tone sounds so strange

"I need to talk with you, professor Snape." she said walking towards his desk "Just a minute, if you can." she added noting his raised eyebrow and after casting the muffliato spell she explained "I need to take Mr. Potter in the infirmary, is it a problem?"

"What do you need him for?" but before she could answer the potion master's question, the bell rang signaling the end of the lesson, "Potter, stay behind." Severus thundered after canceling the spell, the boy immediately turns towards him

"Hi, I'm Desideria, Madama Pomfrey's assistant." she said to the little gryffindor who kept throwing worried glances at his potion teacher

"Don't you have manners, Mr. Potter? The lady just introduces herself you should have the courtesy to return the favor."

"Sorry, ma'am. I'm Harry Potter."

"Don't worry, Harry." she said throwing a grim look to the man, why he had always to be so rube was beyond her comprehension "I just need you to come with me in the infirmary."

"Why?" the little boy stepped back

"We find some minor problems in your exam results."

"What…what did you find?" the little gryffindor looks really scared and the two adults exchange a worried glance above his head

"Nothing to worry about, Harry. Only a couple of imperfections." she tried to reassure him when the boy started to shake his head from side to side

"Mr. Potter, stop this nonsense this instant!" the potion master said firmly and seemed that the boy calmed down "There's no need for your gryffindor melodramas. Nurse Naiade said that you have to go in the infirmary and you will obeyed her without much fuss." the boy begun to ran towards the door but unfortunately for him, his professor had excellent reflexes and Harry Potter found himself immobilized before he even reach the handle.

As soon as he felt his teacher's hand around his arm, Harry tried to free himself fighting like a frightened puppy. Desideria could do nothing, but watch helplessly as the professor tried to calm the little gryffindor

"Stop it, boy! What's gotten in to you?" Harry fought tooth and nails, the nymph could see two big tears rolling down his cheeks, his little fists clenched around Severus' robe. He looks so fragile and lost. That child woke up all her maternal instincts.

"Why are you so frightened?" the boy kept staring at her without saying a word "I told you, there's nothing to worry about." the potion master looked at her worried, the child was literally trembling and his head was starting to shake again

"Don't tell them. Please." he pried, his voice was so low that even the usually bat-ears professor had difficulty hearing it

"Don't tell _whom_, Mr. Potter?" he asked trying to sound nice, well at least less sarcastic than usual

"They'll be angry. They're always angry if someone asks questions." the little gryffindor murmured crying

"Harry, who are you talking about?" Desideria approached the pair and knelt in front of the boy

"I can't tell. You're not supposed to know." at that point he was sobbing, not even interested in being literally hugged by the most heated professor in the whole school if not in all Britain

"Harry," the nymph said lifting his chin to get eye contact "I already know. I just want you to tell me that." she lied hoping the boy would open

"That lady of Social Services tried to help me too, but they told her I was a liar and after that…"

* * *

Two hours and an half later, Desideria and Severus managed to calm Harry enough to cast the diagnostic spell. In the mean time, the boy told them everything about his home life and the two adults were shocked by his relative's cruelty. The boy was small and underweight, too thin for his age, the list of his diseases and injuries was long as a telephone directory, from a poorly treated cold to two broken ribs. When Desideria asked him about the worst injuries he refused to answer and she didn't force him. The exam results clearly showed that his relatives didn't take care of him.

After giving the boy a dreamless potion, Severus called the Headmaster and Professor McGonagall in the infirmary to decide what to do.

Less than ten minutes later, the infirmary was occupied by five worried adults

"Why did you call us, children?" professor Dumbledore asked turning towards the potion master and the young nurse

"It would appear" Severus started "that the boy-who-lived is not as spoiled as _some of us_ believed." and he raised his chin defy anyone to contradict his words or, Merlin forbid, said aloud that he was the only one who think that Harry was a 'little, spoiled and arrogant brat just like his bloody father'.

"Oh, really." obviously the headmaster was not at all surprised by the news "Well, this mean that it is better if _some of us_ change their attitude towards him, isn't it?" the old wizard let a bit of severity overshadowed his usually twinkling eyes and Severus looked down to let him know that he had taken over the not so subtle message. It was Desideria's turn to speak

"Mr. Potter has suffered numerous injuries, too many for a child his age and he's also underweight." before the others had a chance to understand the meaning of her words, she added "He swore that his relatives were never abusive, or at least that they never beaten him but I don't think this is the true. What we know, for now, is that they haven't cure him properly when he was ill and he told us that he was forced to do chores as soon as he was able to walk. He made us a list and I assure you those were too many chores even for an adult. He has not had a happy childhood, that's for sure."

"I told you! I told you ten years ago that those muggles weren't the right people to take care of a child like Harry! If Lily didn't trust her sister there must have been a very good reason!" the transfiguration teacher got up instantly pointing an accusing finger toward the headmaster who had completely lost the sparkle in his eyes

"How bad is he?" he asked looking at Desideria with his eyes lost like a child, he suddenly seemed much older

"He should take some food supplements until he reaches the right weight and I already treat the injuries that weren't completely healed so those are no longer a problem. Essentially, he's fine now."

"The problem is not Mr. Potter's health, Headmaster, but the way he was treated by his so-called family." the potion master said staring at his former mentor, it was so strange to see him suddenly so old and sad

"We must send him back by his relatives because of the blood protection, there's no other solution unfortunately."

"What?! Do not talk nonsense, Albus!" the old nurse yelled "That boy will not return to them! Those people are inhuman!"

"She's right! I let you decide ten years ago and look what happened! I won't make the same mistake twice, Albus!"

"I can't help but agree, headmaster." Severus said in his usual even voice "Even I don't hate the brat so much."

"I don't want to send him back either, but we have no choice." The headmaster defended himself "He would be in danger anywhere else. Not even Hogwarts is safe without the blood protection."

"The blood protection is not working." hearing such an unexpected statement from the nymph, the other four adults interrupted their discussion and turned towards her

"What do you mean?"

"I'm just saying that the function of the blood protection is to defend the child from _any_ threat, whether internal or external to the family. If the blood protection was actually working, he would not have suffered so many injuries."

"That's not the way it work, my dear. The blood protection serves to defend him from external attack, no death eater can find him until he'll live with his aunt or he'll came off age. It's an ancient magic that is no longer used nowadays." the headmaster corrected her, but his lecture was soon interrupted

"You're wrong. A lot of people use it…"

"Can we return to the previous, and more important, topic, please? I'm sure that Miss Naiade's educational gaps can be filled at any other time." Severus said, again using the cold and sarcastic tone that she hated so much

"I don't have educational gaps, Snape. I think you're the one talking about something that it's clear _you_ don't know." but before the potion master could answer her, she began to speak again "Who do you think invented the blood protection?" she asked with a voice full of irritation and leaning again the chair she started her own lecture "I have already told you that when a nymph reaches twenty eight, if she had not find a mate, she must leave this land and go back to serve the water, do you remember?" she asked and when three identical nod and an irritated growl answer her she continued "Many of us have children before that age and, like I said, males can't stay with the nymphs. This means that mothers had to invent a way to protect their children even if they were in a two different land."

"You mean that nymphs were the ones who invented the blood protection?" asked an incredulous potion master

"So much for an illiterate, uh?" she couldn't resist grinning "Usually the mother bonds her son with the father or a family member, in short someone who not only shares the child's blood but who also _loves_ him, from that moment on the child is protected from everything or everyone who tries to harm him. The blood protection ends only if the mother dies or the person to whom the child is bound stop to love him and this means that…"

"Harry isn't under the blood protection!" the old nurse yelled shocked

"He's in danger." the transfiguration teacher realized an instant later "That child will not return in that house, Albus, do you hear me?" and the headmaster nod.

* * *

Friday. Twenty past six. She was officially late.

She managed to get into her quarters only fifteen minutes ago, during her shift in the infirmary, she had continued to get distracted, she kept thinking about the final details for the evening party and the results was that it takes her twice the time to finish her job.

On the way to her quarters she had not resisted and had stretched her road stopping at the Great Hall just to check that everything was perfect and now she was blatantly late.

"Are you ready, yet?" Draco was sitting on the couch and she knows, even without looking, that he was still trying to adjust his tie exactly like fifteen minutes ago.

During lunch time the headmaster told all the student to wear their formal robes for dinner because there would be a surprise for them, the only problem was that while men's formal robes was merely a more expensive version of a normal robe, women had to wear uncomfortable, bulky and difficult-to-close dresses. And if this were not enough, it was generally expected that women have perfect makeup and hairstyle.

It was impossible to achieve in only fifteen minutes!

"I'm almost done, honey!" she yelled as she tried to slip her earrings. Somehow she was able to do her makeup in record time and she was currently marching resolutely toward her dress "We will arrive in time, don't worry."

"The party starts at six thirty and you're not even dressed!" the boy said from the other room. In the short time they had spent together Desideria had learned that appearance was vitally important for her son and being late at a party in her honor wasn't good.

"We are the starts of the party, love, they cannot start without us!" she joke as she tried to put on her dress which was refusing to cooperate "Anyway we aren't so late otherwise your godfather would have made an appearance already." she said while fighting with the zipper of her now-hated dress but after a second the only thing she said was "Damn!"

"Did you just curse?" her son asked and she could 'fell' his smile, she heard Severus scold him for his language not later than yesterday

"Of course not!" she lied

"I heard you! You said…"

"Say it and you will taste soap before dinner, young man." a deep voice said before she could replay

"Severus! What are you doing here?" she asked emerging from behind her bedroom door

"I'm making an appearance because you're late, of course." he stated calm repeating her own words "I hope that the fact that you're still behind your door doesn't mean that you are not dressed yet." throughout his speech, the potion master hadn't stopped to fix his godson's tie

"I am."

"Wonderful." he said looking at her for the first time

"Are we going or not?" asked Draco with the usual childlike impatience

"If your mother decides to leave her room." his godfather said without taking his eyes off Desideria who blushed immediately

"I…I have only to solve a…little problem first." she stammered as her cheeks grew even redder

"I'm sure that any problem could wait until after the engagement party." he stated firmly

"I don't think so." she whispered

"What's the problem?" he asked annoyed

"My dress…the zip is stuck." she said "I tried to fasten it, but the zip is on the back and I can't see it…"

"Understood. Step out and turn." he ordered approaching her, the nymph obeyed. She come out of her room and as soon as she was in front of Severus, the nymph turned back to the door trying not to let him know that she was embarrassed like a school girl, but she held her breath until she felt his warm hands touching the bare skin of her back, a sudden shiver run back her spine and finally, after a dry pull, the zipper of her dress closed and they were ready to go.

At six thirty-two they were in front of the closed doors of the Great Hall

"_Now_ we're officially late." she said faking a smile, with a sigh she put her hand on the handle and turn to her son and soon-to-be husband "Ready?" two identical inscrutable expression answered her and the nymph decided that they were indeed ready to face it.

**REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! NEXT TIME: ENGAGEMENT PARTY AND MORE ABOUT HARRY!!**


	7. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER 7- ANNOUNCEMENTS**

All tables had been moved against the walls to make room for dancing, even if the most part of the students, especially the younger ones, would spend the evening playing.

Every head in the room turn towards them as soon as Desideria opened the door, all eyes followed the newly-formed family as they walked to the teachers table.

Draco was about to sit with his house mates but his godfather hand on his neck stopped him and, with an internal sigh, the boy stood between his mother and his uncle waiting for the announcement that the headmaster was going to do

"My dear students," Dumbledore begun with a jovial voice "I'm happy to give you one of the most beautiful announcement since I became headmaster of this school." he paused enjoying the suspense that descend on the hall "For the first time in more than three hundred years, Hogwarts will host a wedding!" curious whispers arose, some girl sighed dreamily while the younger boys looked around confused, they didn't see anything _beautiful_ in a wedding, clapping once the headmaster called attention on himself again "The 17th of this month, in fact, you are all invited to attend the wedding of our new nurse, miss Naiade, and our potion master, professor Snape." students turned in disbelief to the couple who had been standing near the table.

The nurse, well she was ok. She was young and nice, she tried to call them all by name instead of using their last name like the other teachers did, but Snape.

He was the evil bat of the dungeon. He was always sarcastic and snide, at least one of the student burst into tears at each of his lesson.

Every kid in the school hated him, even his snakes were scared of him!

They were like night and day. They couldn't be together, let alone marry!

"Ah, I see that you are excited as me about this wonderful news!" the headmaster decided to acknowledged the astonishment whispers, well now you could say the astonishment _cries_ "They were kind enough to organize a small party this evening to celebrate the good news with all of us." ignoring the noise around him, the headmaster added in a stern tone

"Although I'm sure none of you would think such a thing," he said twinkling madly "I take this opportunity to assure you that Mr. Malfoy will not receive a preferential treatment only because is miss Naiade's son and soon professor Snape's too. That said, let's begin the party!" and at this point chaos broke out in the Great Hall.

No! It can't be! As soon as the words let the headmaster's lips, Harry turned to the nurse. It can't be!

She stood smiling, SMILING near the greasy git! She said something to him and he had the nerve to murmur back imperceptibly in her ear and make her laugh! It was a sound, sincere and happy laugh. He was Severus Snape, for Merlin sake, and she was the nicest woman he had met throughout his life!

They couldn't be engaged!

It was humanly impossible that a woman like her could fall in love with a greasy git like him!

He would have certainly made her unhappy and lovely women like her shouldn't cry.

Immersed in these gloomy thoughts, Harry lost the rest of the headmaster's speech but something caught his attention in no time.

DRACO'S MOTHER?!?! Among all the boys in the school she had to be HIS mother?!

They had drugged her!

Someone had to talk with the headmaster because there was no other explanation for such an absurd situation!

Draco was nearly as bad as Snape, he couldn't be blood related to her!

That stupid slytherin never missed the opportunity to say to each and every student in the whole Hogwarts that he was Lucius Malfoy's son, but he never talked about a mother like that?! What was wrong with the kid?

Look at him. JUST LOOK AT HIM!! He was leaning oh-so-casually against his mother side and when she ran a loving hand trough his hair he batted it away with insolence!

How could a single boy be so insolent and arrogant?

Malfoy (Malfoy of all people!!) had an amazing mother like her and he wasted his fortune that way!

Harry was sure that if his mother was still alive, he would welcomed with a smile each of her caress, he would have hugged her every day just to smell her scent.

He spent the last ten years of his like trying to remember his mother just to dream of her.

Every night, closed in his cupboard, he imagined that she had give him a goodnight kiss, that she had tucked him in, he had imagined her sing him a lullaby to make him fall asleep when he was lying with sore muscles for all the chores.

Malfoy had everything that Harry had always dreamed of, and he treated his mother with so much indifference!

"Harry? Everything ok, mate?" Ron waved an hand in front of him, face full of worry "You seems a bit…off." and Harry realized that hot tears was running down his face, he batted them away with an angry move before answering his best friend

"Stomachache." he lied rising from the wood bench "Must have been something I ate."

"But we haven't eat yet!" the redhead protest

"Probably is the amount of sweets you ate this afternoon." Hermione intervene with her usual know-it-all attitude, but for once Harry was grateful for her unintentional help

"I think she's right, Ron. I'd better go lie down."

"You sure?" the other boy asked eying him skeptically

"Sure, mate. Don't worry." he adds managing a small smile before disappearing behind the door.

"How came they don't believe that you're going to marry?" Desideria asked leaning towards the potion master

"I think that the problem is that the nice nurse wants to marry the evil bat of the dungeon." he answered using the nickname the students coined just for him and she couldn't help but smile.

"They really think that you are so devil?" she teased him and she was surprised when Draco answered her

"He is devil!" the boy said still looking at his school mates reactions "He give us more homework of all the teachers put together, he always takes point for the silliest things, well not from his House of course" he add with a mischievous grin "and his detentions are the worst ever. He makes us clean tens of cauldrons without a wand and, he never said that but I know that he didn't give us enough time to do it so we have also to write an essay about whatever we did to earn the detention in the first place."

During Draco's little speech, Desideria never took her eyes off Severus who was smirking at his godson's description of him and for the first time since she knew him, the nymph distinguished an amused sparkle behind his apparent evil sneer.

She was amazed, not by him but by her. How come that she didn't notice that it was all an act? His black eyes were full of pride for his godson correct assumption about his way to handle the detentions.

She smiled, happy to realize that her future husband had a heart somewhere in his chest

"You're really full of surprise, Snape." she whisper softly under her breath

"That's why I won the most popular girl in school." not only he had heard a comment that clearly wasn't for his ears, but he was flirting with her. She laughed.

She laughed like she had not laughed for a memorable time, the students who were able to hear her above the din that prevailed in the Great Hall look bewildered at her to return a moment later at more frantic whispers.

She felt Draco lean distractedly against her and for a moment, her life seemed perfect.

She had found her mate and, with time, they would become a real couple. They had certainly met in the most uncommon way, but what mattered was that they were together now, everything else would be dealt with in the due time. The most important thing was that thank to Severus her son was with her again.

She felt his body heat against her and the certainty that no one could ever separate them was warming her heart. She ran a hand towards her son hair absently, but the boy batted it away with a might scowl but she wasn't offended by his gesture.

No preteen would allow his mother to cuddle him in front of his friends, after all.

September cold hairs welcomed him outside while hot tears continue to run down his cheeks. Life was so unfair! He kept walking until he reach a large group of trees, the little gryffindor kicked a rock before sitting on the dirty ground.

He was the boy who lived, everyone in the wizard world know his name, it was certainly a big improvement from when he lived with the Dursleys, this was sure, but people tend to forget the reason behind his nickname.

He wanted a family! No fame or money, he wanted someone who would look after him!

How much he envied his school mates. Their parents worried about school grades, sent them warm sweaters so they couldn't catch a cold. They had someone who loves them and they knew it. He was alone, instead.

He never thinks about things like that, but the other day, after almost ten years, he really missed his mum.

_START FLASHBACK_

_Harry could hear muffled voices come from the adjacent room, he was sure he recognized professor McGonagall and Madama Pomfrey and after some more whisperings he was positive that professor Snape was with them._

_During his first potion lesson the man had showed at length that he couldn't stand him, the little gryffindor understood very well that his teacher hated him and from that very moment he was genuinely scared of the dark professor, he looks definitely stronger than his uncle Vernon and he was a wizard, meaning that he didn't need to actually be near him to hurt him._

_Being hated wasn't so disturbing, he had learned from an early age that the only people who could love him were dead, and his relatives had repeated it every day for ten years to be sure that he couldn't forget to be an unwanted orphan. Dudley was loved, spoiled and cuddled. Harry was an unwanted freak who needed to be beaten almost daily to not be corrupted by magic._

_It was only that he was so eager to learn potions and all his hope was shattered by the tall man who was standing in front of him. One moment he was taking accurately notes and the moment after he was being literally attacked by questions, but he wasn't surprised, Uncle Vernon often did the same thing to show their neighbors that Harry was just a little nuisance while Dudley was the real genius (even if he still need his mother's help to spell his own name correctly while Harry could do his since he was five.)_

_He felt a bit dizzy so he tried to remember why he was in the infirmary and when realization came on him he wished to be dead. Like a nightmare, he remembered that the nurse had gone to fetch him from class because she had to redo the spell than he had tried to escape to avoid having to tell them, his hated potion professor who blocked him clutching him in his own arms and then he had started to cry. _

_They had taken him in the infirmary and he was glad to remember that none of the other students were in the corridors at the moment. The nurse, miss Naiade if he remembered correctly, casted the spell and an invisible quill begun to write on the parchment near him, he remembered the potion master's scowl grew at each line and when the quill stopped writing (two and a half parchments later!) the questions began._

_The nurse's eyes were so gentle and caring that he started talking. He told them everything, well almost everything, and he was amazed to hear the lack of snide remarks from his potion professor. At the end he felt totally exhausted (almost worse than the time he had to clean the whole house and the garden because his uncle's boss had been invited to dinner) and he didn't protest when the kind nurse give him an unknown potion._

"_You're awake!" the nurse entered followed by the other adults_

"_How are you, my boy?" the headmaster asked approaching his bed "I was told that you almost escape Severus' class." add the old wizard with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes and the boy blushed to tips of his ears_

"_Don't embarrass the poor boy, Albus." professor McGonagall intervened. All the adult took place near his bed, but only miss Naiade sit beside him._

"_Harry, I need you to do me a favor." the young nurse said claiming his attention "Would you do it?" she waited for his tiny nod before continuing "You need to tell them what you said to Severus and me before you fall asleep."_

"_Do I have to?" he asked softly looking directly in her brown eyes_

"_I'm sorry, little one, but you do. They need to know to be able to help you. Why don't you start explaining how you avoid our visit?" and the boy blushed again_

"_I…I can't let you visit me 'cause Uncle Vernon get m…mad when other people know about me. He…Once he made the principal fire my teacher because she kept asking why I was always bruised and I really want to stay here! Last night I…" he kept throwing worried glances at the other adult in the room "I'm sorry professor!" he said to his head of house "I had to!"_

"_Calm down Mr. Potter and tell us what happened last night." professor Snape said before the young gryffindor had a panic attack_

"_Severus is right, Harry. I promise that nobody will be angry for what you did." seeing the reassuring nods of the other teachers, the boy continued_

"_Last night I sneaked out from the dormitory and come here. I…heard the spell that Madama Pomfrey used with Ron in the afternoon and…I casted it on myself and I forged Miss Naiade signature." Professor McGonagall and the Headmaster exchange astonished glances while the potion master just kept looking at the boy_

"_Harry. Why don't you tell the headmaster what you said to Severus and me?" the young nymph asked covering his hand with her own, the little boy sigh and start explained again how was his life in Little Surrey._

_Fifteen minutes later the boy finished speaking and he collapsed against the pillows only to find two nice arms ready to welcome him in a hug, at first he stiffened out of reflex, but in less than a second he relaxed in the embrace._

_He cried his eyes out, hugging her with all his might until he falls asleep. He felt her hand caressing his forehead, her sweet voice wishing him goodnight and for a moment, for a brief moment he wished that miss Naiade was his mother._

_END FLASHBACK_

"That's not fair!" he sobbed. He could still hear the noises from inside so Harry decided to walk further inside the forest.

"Congratulation!" as soon as the headmaster ended his speech, the school staff approached the two. Not all of the teachers know the real reason of their wedding, Albus thought that it was safer this way, especially if Voldemort was interested in her power.

"Miss Naiade, you never said that Mr. Malfoy was your son." professor Flitwick said

"He's right." agreed Madama Hooch "If you are his mother then who are Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy?" Severus felt his fiancée stiffened near him even as she answered with her usual smile

"Mr. Malfoy was my mother's friend. When Draco was born I was really young and he offered to give me a hand with the baby until I was ready to raise him again." they knew that someone would ask about Draco and the Malfoys and they had already thought of a cover story. "I had some problems but I'm ready to be a mother now," she said looking briefly at Draco who was talking with some of his friends "we could be together" the nymph placed her hand on the potion master's arm "and with Severus we will be a real family." the female staff sighed dreamily as the young woman leaned casually against her boyfriend.

"You're really a wonderful couple."

"Oh thank you." she said

"Let's talk about important things." Professor McGonagall ordered coming near them

"Such as?" asked Severus raising an eyebrow

"The wedding of course!" exclaimed the mild age teacher clapping her hands like a schoolgirl "I want to know everything from the dress to the party!"

After a few minutes all the female staff was surrounding the nymphs laughing and chattering like teenagers, while the males decided to sit at the opposite site of the table supervising the students that in the main time decided to enjoy the buffet. Suddenly a soft music filled the Great Hall and minutes later, Desideria and Severus found themselves in each other's arms in the middle of the dance floor.


	8. Chapter 8

**CHAPTER 8- A NEW MEMBER OF THE FAMILY**

She really can't stop thinking about that boy. He was so polite and small. And last week he seemed so small in that sea of white sheets in the infirmary. They spent that afternoon talking about his relatives and the way he was treated, professor McGonagall and Madama Pomfrey, as Severus and she, thought that Harry shouldn't return in that house and they had convinced the Headmaster too, it was finally decided to look for a good wizard family that would adopt the boy. She was sure that Harry would be fine with her, Draco and Severus. Draco and Harry would learn to get along ending that stupid war that they had begun and Severus...She had to convince Severus that they were the best choice.

Friday night at least. Severus Snape sat in his favorite armchair with a sigh enjoying the silence of his quarters.

"Severus! We need to talk!" Why? Why had he told her the password to get in? Because she would became his wife in two days, that's why. He answered himself opening his eyes.

"Miss Naiade, what brings you to my humble adobe?" he said while the woman entered the living room

"We need to talk, Severus." she repeated sitting in the opposite sofa "I was thinking…"

"What a surprise." she just glared at him but continued undeterred

"I was thinking that he's not good for Draco to be an only child," the nymph pointedly ignored his gasp "and I'm sure you agree with me because you always miss a brother growing up. Even if we decided to have a child now, eleven years of difference are too much and we could have a baby girl and that lead us to my first conclusion. We really should adopt a boy around Draco age."

"Did you go somewhere between dinnertime and now?" he asked quietly

"What? No, I didn't, but I don't see how…"

"Did you eat or drink something unusual?"

"No, but what has this to do with…"

"Then what the hell have you in mind?" he yelled suddenly "We're not even married and you want to ADOPT someone that you don't even ever seen?"

"It's not like that!" she said

"Oh really, and HOW is it then?"

"I already know the boy and you do too."

"I don't know anyone who need to be adopt…You are not thinking what I KNOW you're thinking, are you?" he asked raising from his armchair

"Well, it depends from what you think I'm thinking…" but she was immediately interrupted by his angry yell

"I'm not going to adopt Harry bloody Potter!"

"You aren't." she replied calmly

"So you haven't lost all of your good sense." he said in a much quieter voice

"Of course I haven't. I was only saying that since we're going to be married in a couple of days _we_ will adopt Harry together." she answered with a devil smile

"What are you thinking, woman?" he asked angrily "I will probably kill the boy in less than an hour." Snape start pacing the room

"He's just like you, Severus and you know it."

"What? Don't you dare even think that I'm like Potter's spawn!"

"He lost his parents…"

"My father is still alive." he retorted

"…and he was sent to his relatives…"

"I choose to live with my grandfather after my fifth year."

"…that hate him…"

"He hated my muggle father not me."

"…and abused him."

"I was never…" but he couldn't lie to her. His fiancé knew everything thank to her damn dreams. She knew about his father, the way he was treated, well _mis_treated by him just because he was a wizard and after his mother death he went to live with his only other relative, namely a grandfather that hated him because he was a muggleborn, a shame for the Prince family even if he was the only heir. He sat again in the sofa across the nymph and without looking her in the eyes, the potion master said "I recognized that Potter and I have…a bit in common, but that doesn't mean that I…we have to adopt him."

"We don't _have_ to, Severus. I _want_ to adopt him because I know that we could be good parents. He needs someone who could understand him and I hope…no, I _know_ that you could put aside the difference and do everything in your power to give him the childhood that every boy deserves."

It was the first time that he heard the nymph compliment him, and the worst part was the it was also the first time that he was glad to be her mate.

"He will fight with Draco every day." he really couldn't let her win so easily

"I did too with my brothers until…well, until I came here." she said with a smile

"You have brothers?"

"I never told you? Yes, I have two younger brothers. David and Matt and I swear, we fight almost every day until my father decided that he had enough and…don't change the topic!" she almost yell blushing deep red and making Severus smirk "We were talking about adopt Harry not about me."

"In this case, _if_ I agree to adopt Potter we must make some things clear from the start."

"Such as?" she asked raising an eyebrow in a perfect imitation of her boyfriend while conjuring two cup of tea

"First of all, he will obey Draco's same rules, no special treatment." Severus starts after nodding briefly his thanks

"Of course. I want to spoil them in the same way." she said hiding her smile behind the cup of tea

"And he will face the same consequences when, because I'm sure it will happen soon enough, he disobeys them."

"Ok, but you have to explain him the difference between a spanking and the beating that I'm sure he suffered while he was in his relatives care."

"Agree."

"Everything ok, mate?" Ronald Weasley tried once again to discover what was happening to his friend. They were sitting in the common room playing, or at least trying to play chess while Hermione read 'Hogwarts an History' curled in the armchair near them

"Uh-uh." and once again the answer was the same

"Ron's right, Harry. You seem a bit…off." Hermione intervened equally concerned

"I'm fine."

"You're not and you know it." she said tired of his lies. It was almost a week from the last time that she saw him smile "Something happened." she was sure of it

"I'm just…" but he didn't end the sentence

"You know you can say us anything, Harry. We will help you."

"Yeah. Granger's right, mate. What are friends for?" the brunette sighed, he really didn't want to talk with them

"I'm just thinking."

"About what?" Hermione had other ideas

"About…stuff."

"What stuff?" she really was tireless

"Leave me alone." he said standing up but the girl block his path

"You should talk with someone, Harry."

"Not now, Hermione."

"But you need…"

"Let him go, Granger. He will tell us when he wants to." Ron said from the red couch

"He needs to talk with someone, Ronald, he can't bottle everything inside." she lectured with the now familiar haughty tone

"He's free to _not_ talk with us if he doesn't want to." the red-head retorted and Harry takes advantage of their little argument to take refuge in the dorm.

Closing the dark red curtains around his bed, the green-eyed boy let another tear fall from his eyes. How could you explain someone that all the professors of the school knew that he was abused by his relatives, that even now he was afraid to say aloud that his muggle uncle beat him senseless every time something _freakish_ happened in their neighborhood and that until he went to primary school he thought that _Freak_ was his name?

How could he said his friends that he must had lower marks than his cousin (and Dudley had never been a smart kid!) and _play_ Harry-hunting all afternoon even if he hadn't lunch and he felt dizzy and the only time he managed to get away he found himself on the school roof and that evening his uncle belted him until he was black and blue?

Why should he admit that he dreamt about a family that he couldn't have because a mad man without a real name decided to kill his parents when he was one?

"You're a bloody cretin, Draco!" the blonde boy stood in front of the bathroom mirror talking with himself.

After dinner he went to his dormitory and sat on his bed thinking. In the last month his life had changed radically. He discovered that his mother wasn't his mother and that his father was technically his _grand_father, he wasn't even the pureblood he always thought to be because he was the son of a nymph, and a powerful one given her performance in the infirmary last week, and an unknown wizard from whom he was named after.

He always thought that his former parent weren't affectionate to him because that was the way that all pureblood families were, instead he discovered that his grandfather kidnapped him as soon as he was born because he had first failed to convince his daughter to take part in the war against muggles.

For the last eleven years his real, loving mother was in another country convinced that he was dead when he was alone in a cold manor dreaming about a mother just like her.

He felt suddenly sad and alone so he decided to leave the slytherin common room and join his mother in her quarters. He literally run until he reach the right door and whispered the password but the room was desert, he thought that maybe she was still in the infirmary and he sat on the couch waiting for her.

After less than five minutes he found himself thinking how him could resemble Lucius Malfoy so much if he wasn't his real son and so he went to the bathroom and stood in front of the mirror looking for any resemblance with his mother.

He lost track of the time staring at himself in the mirror but he had not yet found a single resemblance with his mother and he couldn't help cursing himself.

"Don't swear, Draco." he almost jump out of his skin hearing the calm reprimand of his mother. She was standing not further that three feet and though she had just scolded him, a small smile was hovering on her lips

"How…How long were you here?" he asked

"Long enough to know that you are in love with your reflection." she joked

"I'm not in love with my reflection." he protested "I was looking for…something."

"What?" she asked

"I was looking for…" he blushed furiously to the tips of his ears making her smile grew wider

"Come on, honey, what's so embarrassing? Were you looking for a white hair? Or merely trying to understand why girls like you so much?" she was definitely happy and in joke mood but he was just plain embarrassed and the blonde boy decided that in order to stop that humiliating series of questions he was even willing to tell the truth

"." he said in a breath

"Excuse me? I didn't understand a word." he took a deep breath and repeated slowly

"I was looking for some resemblance with you."

"Resemblance?" the nymph approached her son "Why were you looking for resemblances?"

"'Cause I thought that if Lucius is not my father than I shouldn't look exactly like him and seeing that you are my mother than I should look like _you_ but I can't find anything." he explained looking at the floor until a gentle hand took his chin making him stare in loving chocolate eyes

"You really think that you are Lucius' little clone?" she asked

"I have his hair and…" he started but he was suddenly interrupted when his mother turns him towards the mirror and stood behind him

"If you think that than you hadn't looked closely enough." she said and despite her firm tone, the nymph was smiling again "Let's start with your hair, shall we? It's probably my fault because I never told you that, except me and my mother, my whole family has blonde hair."

"Really?" he asked locking his eyes with hers

"Of course. She has five sisters and one brother all with blond hair and so her mother and all my seventeen cousins and their kids."

"You have seventeen cousins?"

"We're quite a large family." she chuckled amused while turning his head back toward the mirror "Now, where were we? Oh, your grey eyes. Well, I think you took those from your father. Michael had grey eyes and dark blond hair and I hope those are the only things that you took from him." she whispered to herself even if he heard every word. She kept point to one part of his face or another telling him who resembled and after almost half an hour Draco Malfoy discovered that he had his mother nose and cheekbone, his grandmother lips and his mother swear that he has his uncle David (because now he has not one but two uncles!) temper even if they weren't blood related.

"Thank you!" he said and in a burst of affection he hugged her

"You're welcome, sweetheart." the nymph whispered in return

"You're the best mum, ever." he said against her chest only to rose his head again when he heard a strangled sob coming from said mum "Did I said something wrong?" he asked alarmed when he saw the tear that was falling from her eyes

"Oh, no! I'm just being…silly." she said with a watery smile "It's the first time that you call me 'mum' and…they're happy tears, baby, don't worry about them." she explained with a smile.

He hugged her again and hearing his mother's heartbeat, Draco Malfoy was sure he was never happier in his entire life.

"Good morning, children." the headmaster greeted the potion master and the nurse when they entered his office Saturday morning "Tomorrow is the big day, isn't it?" he said cheerfully popping a lemon drop in his mouth

"Indeed, headmaster, but we're not here to talk about the wedding." said the young professor

"Really? At what do I owe the pleasure of your visit, then?" he asked motioning them to sit

"We're want to talk about Harry's situation, Headmaster." the nymph said after she sat

"What about Harry?"

"I think I found a good family, sir." she ventured softly

"You find a family?" the old wizard asked "That's really good news! And tell me, are they really good?"

"I think so, sir." she answered looking at Severus for support

"Do they have other children?" the headmaster asked again.

To be honest, he had known how it would end as soon as he saw how protective the young nymph was with the boy that day in the infirmary. She was the one who said that he couldn't go back to his relatives no matter what, after all. The headmaster was just curious to know if the potion master really agreed to the adoption or if he had been dragged in it by the woman.

"They had another son, sir." this time it was Severus who answered him. The potion master sat rigid in the comfortable chair, hands clutching the arm of the chair so thigh that his knuckles were white while Desideria, on the other hand, was more relaxed even if she glance at her boyfriend worriedly every now and then.

"Do I know them already?"

"Yes, sir." the nymph murmured "What we are trying to say is that we are interested in adopting Harry."

"You two?" he tried to sound surprised and to think carefully about it "I don't know. You're not even married after all."

"We're getting married tomorrow!" the young nurse protested

"I know, but you have Draco already."

"If the Weasleys had stopped at the first child I shouldn't bear the twin's pranks every day." Severus couldn't help but murmured sarcastically

"And I think that this adoption could help both of them." Desideria said glaring at her boyfriend

"You have a point, dear, but I still have doubts." he told them leaning more comfortably on the back of his chair "Harry was abused and abused kids need special attention."

"We know and we're prepared to give him everything he needs."

"He will need strict rules and structures at first because he's not used to relay on adults." he pointed out

"I never knew someone who could ensure rules and structures better than Severus." she said with a fake smile making the old man chuckles

"He will need plenty of love and praises too." he said becoming serious again

"I can do it." she assured firmly.

The headmaster sit in silence for a few minutes looking at the couple, Desideria was torturing her hands clearly fearing his refuse while Severus sit quietly with an apparently blank face.

"Severus?"

"Yes, sir?" the potion master answered immediately

"Do you want to add something?" he asked gently. The young professor straightened his back and cleared his voice before looking his former mentor straight in the eyes and say in a firm voice

"We both know that Desideria and I are the best choice for the boy. We could give him a good family and at the same time protect him from the Death Eaters and You-Know-Who better than anyone else." the headmaster opened his mouth to make the most important question but Severus beat him on the time "And before you ask me. Yes, I could forget a school rivalry and treat the boy like he deserves. He and Draco will follow the same rules, face the same consequences and at the end of the day learn to be brothers or at least friend."

Albus Dumbledore's eyes twinkled with joy while he took one parchment from the drawer and said

"You're late, children."

"What?" they spoke in unison

"I bet with Minerva that you would come to me by last Monday and now I owe her 30 galleons." he said giving them adoption document which lacked only their signature "While I was at the Ministry I took the liberty to take two copies of this documents because I somehow know that you would not let Draco be a Malfoy much longer."

"What do you mean, sir?" the nymph asked while Severus read the documents

"I mean that those are the documents for the adoption of one Harold James Potter by Severus Tobias Snape and Desideria Marie Naiade-Snape and one Draco Michael Malfoy by Severus Tobias Snape."

And half an hour later they were the proud parents of Draco Michael and Harold James Snape. Now, they had _only_ to say it to the boys.

**A.N. Hope you like it! I want only to say you that I hadn't find a beta so**

**1-I'm really really really sorry for the mistakes but, once again, I'm not English so…**

**2-If you want to beta my story PLEASE email me**

**3- REVIEW! Because I really need to know if my story sucks or if you like it!**


	9. Chapter 9

**CHAPTER 9- TALK WITH THE BOYS**

"What's the plan?" Desideria asked as soon as they entered Severus's quarters

"What do you mean?" her boyfriend asked sitting down

"I was thinking if it's better that we tell to both boy at the same time or tell them separately." she said

"Last one." he answered sitting down "It's better if we explain everything to Potter…"

"Harry." the nymph interrupted

"Excuse me?"

"You should start to call him Harry. He's our son and he's not a Potter anymore." she added

"Very well, then it's better if we explain everything to _Harry_ without the presence of Draco to avoid any fight."

"Excellent point, but I think that we can ask them to come here this afternoon so we can talk _together_ because they really need to understand that we're a family now." she hadn't end the sentence yet when Slytherin's portrait announced Draco's arrival

"It seems that we don't have to decide to which one tell it first." Severus murmured while Desideria stood to meet her son

"Mum! What are you doing here?" the blond boy asked as soon as he saw the woman near his godfather's couch

"I could ask the same to you." she said smiling, since last night her son managed to put the word 'mum' in each of his sentences

"I was bored to death! The other decided to study!" he said almost scandalized "Can you imagine that? It's Saturday morning! You can't study on Saturday morning, right?" he kept saying sitting near her

"It's almost a law!" she teased him

"What are you doing?" the boy asked crossing his legs and leaning against his mother side

"We were talking." she said glancing briefly at Severus

"About the wedding?" he asked

"Well, yes and no." she take a deep breath before giving him the big news "We were talking about us being a family." she started "As soon as I discovered about you I went to the Ministry and gave them your real birth certificate so now they knows that I'm your mum," she didn't say him that she had also initiate a trial against Lucius for kidnapping, that was another story "but now you are without a father." she felt Draco stiffen a bit "That's why Severus agreed to adopt you." the expression on her son face was priceless. He sat upright in a second, and wide eyed he turns toward the man

"You want to adopt me?"

"Yes, child. I sign the document less than an hour ago and now you're legally the son of Severus Tobias Snape and Desideria Marie Naiade, future Mrs. Snape" he said hiding a smile when his godson, his _son_ rushed in his open arms

"Thank you!"

They sat in silence for a few minutes, the two adults savoring the boy happiness until Severus decided that he was his duty to inform the child of the other development

"We have other news for you."

"Really?" the child broke the hug enough to look in his godfather eyes

"You're not going to be our only son." he started feeling like he was walking on eggs

"No?" the little slytherin throw a glance at his mother before asking quietly "You mean she's pregnant?" the nymph coughed embarrassed while Severus suppress a grimace

"Not exactly." he tried again "We have adopted another boy." he sighed and decided that it was better to just say it "When I sign the papers for your adoption, we signed for Potter's too."

"What?" the boy jumped backwards and, predictably, the smile disappeared from his face and was replaced by an angry grimace "You hadn't!" he was plain upset and Severus choose to cut the child some slack

"It's not that bad, Draco." the nymph tried to calm him "I'm sure you'll get along soon enough." both male snorted at that, but the Potion Master stayed silent

"You're talking about Potter! We hate each other!" the slytherin protested

"And you'll learn not to." the woman said resolutely, she take a breath and talked calmly adding a bit of magic in her voice

"Listen, honey. We had really, really good reasons to adopt Harry and we're both sure that you need only time before you find to have a lot in common."

"I have nothing in common with that bl…"

"Draco." Severus didn't rise his voice but the warning was clear all the same "Your mother is treating you like an adult it's only appropriate that you show her the same courtesy behaving like one." he said before nodding at his fiancé to continue and she did just that after a small smile as thank you

"You were both raised by people who weren't your real parents and you're going to live in the same family. I won't say anything more to you because it would not be fair to Harry." she looks her son in the eyes until he crossed his arms and with a pout asked his godfather

"May I be excused?"

"At one condition." he said eyeing the scowling child "You should use your time to think about it and later we can have lunch in my quarters and we will answer all your questions. Potter will join us in the afternoon and from that moment on I want you to try your best, understood?" the little boy nodded curtly before leaving the room like his robe was on fire.

"If that was easy I fear what will happen with Harry." the young nymph said with a sad smile

"Not time like the present, I think. Cindy." the professor called the house elf and ordered her to bring the little Gryffindor.

"You mean that we're going to have a little lion in our liar?" as soon as Draco leaved the quarters, Salazar Slytherin joins the conversation asking the young couple about the double adoption.

True be told, Desideria enjoy the old founder chats, she spent quite a time talking with him about Severus, discovering a lot about her boyfriend that her dreams haven't shown her. He told her that he become the quarter's guardian when the Headmaster hired the Potions Master and they spent almost every evening talking about potions and life in general. Salazar remind her a bit of Severus, both of them love potions, hate teaching dunderheads and used the same sarcastic comment to hide their gentle nature.

"These quarters will become much more interesting, then."

"I'm positive that their fights will be great entertainment." Snorted Severus

"Don't worry, I'm used to that."

"Being a teacher for all those years, I'm sure that you had to break a lot of students' fights." Desideria observed smiling indulgently

"That too, but I was talking about my sons."

"They fought a lot?" she asked interested, the founder didn't talk about his family often

"Did they ever stop?" asked the Potions Master sharing his fiancé interested

"I found a perfect incentive." the old wizard answered mysteriously

"What?" they managed to ask almost simultaneously

"I think that my eldest son words were:" he cleared his throat dramatically before imitating a young boy voice "I prefer talking with those cretins of my brothers than to have another taste of your strap." the portrait ended chuckling at their shocked expression

"Wise advise." the potions master said hiding a smile while the old wizard announced his new son arrival.

"You called for me, sir?"

"Mr. Potter, take a seat please." Harry sat on the soft couch immediately followed by Desideria who took the place near him while the Potion Master sat in the armchair in front of them.

"I asked you to come here because we have news about your situation."

"What situation?" the boy asked unsure

"The day we talk about your exam results," the nymph started "we promised you that you haven't to go back to your relatives, right?" she asked and the gryffindor nodded slowly "The day after we told you that we were going to find a family who want to adopt you, do you remember?" another nod, the young woman take a breath and smile before saying "Well, we decided to adopt you." she was taken aback when the boy grinned happily before throwing himself at her, much like Draco did with Severus not more than half an hour ago

"You adopted me! Thank you! Thank you!" he said hugging her tightly "I wanted this so much!" his happiness was contagious and she smiled with him looking at Severus who looked like he had lost something

"We were so worried. I thought that since you and Severus didn't get along…"

"Severus?" the boy broke the hug like a thunderbolt "What does he have to do with that?" he asked genuinely confused

"I told you already, we adopt you." she explained and the little gryffindor looked at her as if she had suddenly grown another head

"You mean he adopted me too?" he almost yelled

"Of course, Harry. We're getting married tomorrow. You know it."

"He can't adopt me!" this time he shout like a hippogriff jumping up and as far as possible from them "He hates me!"

"Don't be ridiculous." snapped the potion master "I don't hate you. I just don't approve your tendency to break the rules." he explained as calmly as possible

"Liar! You hate me! You hate everyone who's not a slytherin!" the boy kept shouting.

Severus turn enough to see the tears in his fiancé eyes, she was so naïve that she thought that the boy would jump in ecstasy at the news but luckily he knew better and was ready for the storm. The only thing he was unprepared for was the tightening in his chest at her sad expression. He felt ten times more angry at the boy for make her cry.

"Mr. Potter stop this nonsense at once." he said firmly "Sit back down and talk with us like the young man you're supposed to be."

"Wait a minute!" the boy said ignoring the direct order "You didn't mean that I'm the ferret brother, did you?" he was beside himself with rage. He wanted to be Desideria's son and nothing else. He hadn't thought about her wedding with the git or her being Draco's mother. He couldn't live with those two slytherin!

"Mr. Potter." the potion master said again almost at the end of his patience

"I don't want to be _his_ brother! He's a spoiled…" the little gryffindor kept venting his disagreement with force and a _much_ too colorful language in Severus' opinion.

The young professor glanced once again at his future wife. She was as still as a statue, tears trapped in her eyes while she stare at the shouting boy. That woman had a kind heart, she was born to pamper her children not to scold them, she really meant to give Draco a more than decent family and to assure Potter a happy childhood and in the last two hours she had to attend to both boys shouting at the thought to be a family.

Merlin, he couldn't endure her hurt look a moment longer.

"Mr. Potter!" he finally shouted above the boy random cries "You have three seconds to put your bottom on that couch before I decide to warm it, am I clear?" and luckily for him, the boy sat even if he sported an angry pout on his face

"Thank you. Now, I don't want to hear anymore shouting or cursing from you, understood?" he asked firmly, the boy merely struggled "A verbal answer is appreciated."

"Yes, sir." it was drooling disrespect, but it was a start at least

"Very well. Desideria and I talk about you and your relatives and we come to the conclusion that we could help you recover from their…_treatment_. In the afternoon we will talk about rules and consequences, but you don't have to worry because they are almost all common sense and if Draco manage…" hearing the other boy name, Harry start murmuring insults again and, against his better judgment, Severus decided to let it slide for the last time

"Last warning, young man. Anymore attitude from you and you'll find out what consequences mean soon enough." he said strictly and the little gryffindor sat quietly again.

The potion master sighed before continuing "Anyway, we're sure that a family is good for you and you'll find that I'm not as bad as you think." he tried, he really tried to understand that the boy was going through a hard predicament, but when the words 'greasy git' and 'bastard' reached his ears he decided that it was highly time to show the boy that enough was enough.

He didn't need to stood, he merely grabs the boy's arm and after turning him on the side, the potion master administered three sound swats on the fidgety bottom.

"I said no cursing." he turned a deaf ear at the boy soft whimper and gave him another swat "And when I give you a warning I aspect you to heed it, understood?" he asked turning the boy toward him again

"Yes, sir." the little gryffindor whispered

"Harry." finally Desideria rose from her seat only to kneel a second later near them "There's no need to feel so angry, dear." she said softly "We really want to be your parents and I'm sure that if you give him time, you'll find that Severus isn't that bad or I wouldn't marry him." the nymph smiled and opened her arms glad that the boy took the comfort that she lingered to give him

"Draco's my child." she kept whispering in his hair "And I assure you that my kids are amazing. Both of them." she added.

The child relish in the embrace for a good half an hour, until the nymph told him that it was time for lunch and that they would have waited for him in the afternoon for another talk.

"It will be a long journey, do you know it?" Severus asked as soon as Harry leaved the quarters

"It's worth it." she answered him "Even if it's quite tiring." she add with a mischievously smile

"I can't agree more." How strange. He felt so more relaxed now that her eyes were sparkling with happiness instead of tears.

The young woman leaned against the back of the couch only to straighten up a second later, her fingers disappeared in her tight hairdo and after a moment her hair broke loose. A thick mahogany cascade that framed her face making her look much younger, but also much more attractive

"What?" she was looking at him quizzically

"Nothing." he said embarrassed to be caught looking at her like a teenager victim of his own hormones

"Why are you looking at me that way, then?" she asked

"I was just thinking." he answered evasively

"About what?"

_That's a shame that you kept your beautiful hair tied all the time!_ He thought, but aloud he said

"About the boys." and he disappeared in the kitchen without another words.

It was in moment like this that Desideria regretted that she had never learned that spell to take instant pictures.

Severus sat in his usual armchair, arms laying loosing on the armrest and legs crossed while their two boys were sitting at opposite side of the couch, as far as possible from each other.

"I already told you that we have to talk about rules and consequences." her boyfriend started his speech

"I know them already!" protested her fair headed son. He arrived in Severus' quarters ten minutes before lunch with a pout worthy of a toddler but half an hour, and two spanking threats, later he decided to talk with them. At the end of the lunch, Severus managed to make him promise to behave and give Harry at least a chance.

"Not all. You're not just my godson anymore, we're a family and therefore we're going to have family rules. You know some of them, but I'm going to add some different rules. Now, may I?"

And so they started.

"First of all the four ground rules. If we told you to do something you do it. No buts or ifs. You're always welcome to ask for explanations and, in principle; we will give them but sometime 'because I said so' will suffice." Draco snorted a bit already knowing his godfather obey-me routine, but Harry looked at his potion professor warily. Severus decided to ignore them both.

"After that, you don't lie to us. Ever. There's no difference between small lies or big lies. For me…for _us_ a lie is a lie. And make no mistake, I always know if you're lying." he said looking at them firmly, he knows that his godson had an inclination to lie or, like he boy calls it 'bend a bit a true', but he didn't tolerate it. "You both know that I won't stand either cursing or cheekiness and in my book, if you're old enough to curse or give me attitude than you're old enough to bear the consequences so, for the sake of both your bottoms, I strongly advise you to _not_ do it." both boys blushed deeply at the mention of spanking and Desideria couldn't hold back a smile thinking that Severus really like to play the strict father part.

"And lastly, you don't fight. Not with your school mates and, especially, not with each other. I'm quite serious about this one so don't test me, understood?"

"Yes, sir." they said in chorus.

"Perfect. Now, every day rules are quite easy. We expect you to do your best at school and that mean at least an E in each subject." at that Harry paled a bit knowing that he couldn't have an E in potions to save his life, luckily (or unluckily!) for him, Severus seemed to read in his mind "If you have problem in a subject I aspect you to come to us and we'll find a solution. You're not going to be punished for this, only for slackening instead of studying." the little gryffindor swear that he could hear a tiny bit of gentleness in the man voice

"You will eat three balanced meals per day, and when I say _balanced_ I mean less sweets and more vegetables." the potion master said glaring at his godson who had the habit to skip meals and stuff himself with candies and chocolate instead.

"Your curfew is nine o'clock at school days and nine thirty in the weekend."

"I don't have a curfew in the tower!" protested the dark haired boy. He understood all the other rules, even the one to have all E, but he couldn't go to bed at nine like some sort of toddler!

"You have one, now." the man retorted

"All my friends stay up until midnight!"

"And you will go to bed at nine."

"But…"

"It's not up to debate, young man." the potion master said forbiddingly

"But it's not fair!" the little gryffindor yelled

"Stop arguing." the potion master warned him but Harry ignored him

"No one has to go to bed so early!" he kept protesting

"Enough!"

"I don't want to go to bed at nine!"

"It's corner time for you, young man." the potion master stated forbiddingly

"What? I'm not a stupid toddler!" that boy had not sense of self preservation at all. Severus rose from his comfortable seat and takes the boy's ear guiding him in the nearest corner

"You can hear the rest of the talk from here, young man. You can either go to be at nine in your own dorm or at eight-thirty in here. Think about it because I want to hear your answer when I call you."

"Still not fair." the boy murmured crossing his arms with a pout. He wanted a family to be cuddled not to obey some stupid rules.

"No talking while you're in the corner, Harry." the man said sitting down again

"Drop that smirk." the nymph scolded her other son who was enjoying Harry's predicament a little too much

"Those are the only rules you had to follow and I aspect you to do it. The consequences are even easiest to remember." Severus continued his speech looking at Draco and throwing a glance at Harry every now and then "Based on the situation and the level of disobedience, we could decide to make you stand in the corner for some time," he said looking at the dark head currently filling said corner "or sent you in your room. For lying, cursing or cheekiness, if you don't heed the first warning we will wash your mount out with soap." he added "And finally, for major misbehavior you will receive a spanking. Everything clear?" he asked with a sigh. Merlin, he was more tired now that after three rounds of the cruciatus curse

"Yes, Uncle Sev." Draco answered immediately while the Harry kept silent

"Mr. Potter?"

"It's Snape now." was the quite retort and Severus couldn't help but smirk at the boy bravery, but most of all at the fact that he had accepted to be a Snape

"You're right. So, do you understand, Mr. Snape?"

"Yes, sir."

"You can come out of the corner." he said forcing himself to be strict for a little bit more "What is your answer?"

"I'll go to bed at nine in my dorm, sir." the boy said looking at the floor.

"Wise choice, child."

"Now, run along. We will see you at dinner in the Great Hall." he said and sighed when the boys were finally out of sight.

"Tired?" asked a soft voice above his head.

"Immensely." he answered sincerely

"You did a great job."

"Not thank to you." he frowned half heartedly "You just stood there with a smile."

"Oh, but you impersonate so well the strict, forbiddingly father that I didn't want to ruin everything." she joked making him smile

"Would you like some coffee?" she asked a minute later

"I really need it, thank you." he said without moving

"I'll make it then. And I'll ask Cindy if she could bring us some pastries."

"What for?" he asked half opening an eye

"We had to celebrate."

"Why? Because we survive the day?" he asked sarcastically

"That too." she said smiling "But mainly because today's the first day of the Snape family." she stated disappearing in the kitchen.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: I fall in love with the song "This I promise you" by Ronan Keating and I just had to use it for the wedding!**

**Technically, the song was written in 2006 and the first book is set in 1991…but let' forget it for a moment, ok?**

**Thank you!**

**CHAPTER 10- WEDDING AT HOGWARTS**

Six thirty in the morning! Why was her alarm ringing at six thirty on Sunday morning? The young woman turned on her side burying her head under the cushions, she sighed softly before remembering.

Her wedding day!

She was awake and upright in ten seconds. How could someone forget her own wedding day? She asked herself with a frown while entering the bathroom for a much needed cold shower.

After less than twenty minutes the nymph heard someone calling her from the living room and she reluctantly wrapped herself in her bath-robe before answering the Floo-call

"Professor McGonagall, good morning." she greeted the transfiguration teacher with a small smile

"Desideria! Today's the big day, isn't it?" the young nurse resisted the urge to shake her head at the antics, she really couldn't understand why they were more excited than her for _her_ wedding

"So it seems. I would like to talk with you but I really need to go dressed." she said pointing at her partially undressed state

"Oh, but that's way I call you, dear!" the other woman grinned "We were just saying that you need help! Step aside so we can come there." Desideria regretted her obedience as soon as her living room was occupied by four thrilled witches

"I really don't need much help." she said, trying desperately to save herself from what she knew was going to be torture

"Don't even say it!" scolded Madama Pomfrey stepping in from behind professor Sprout "It's your wedding day and you need to be at your best."

"Poppy's right." supported professor McGonagall who was literally marching toward the young woman room with Madama Hooch at her heels "It's a big day and we will celebrate with all the honor that it deserves." the nymph tried to protest, but she was quickly pushed toward her bedroom by the two other two witches.

Madama Hooch had already made her bed and professor McGonagall was currently opening every drawer in the room

"What are you looking for, ma'am?" she asked

"Your wedding dress, of course!" she answered half buried in the wardrobe "Where did you put it, child?"

"You're not looking hard enough, Minerva." stated Poppy approaching her old friend "You can't miss a big white wedding dress."

"I don't need…" Desideria tried to say but the witches ignored her

"It's not here, Poppy. I'm old, not blind!" protested the transfiguration teacher

"Desideria, darling. Where did you put the dress?" asked the concerned Hufflepuff head of house.

The nymph took a deep breath tying to be heard above the two women quarrel, resisting Madama Hooch continue pushing toward the bathroom and professor Sprout gentle stroking of her arm, all at the same time.

"Ladies!" she called and finally (Finally!) all the other witches turned toward her. "Thank you. First of all, my wedding dress is not white." she started looking at the two woman near her wardrobe "Furthermore, I already had a shower so I don't need the bathroom anymore." added the young nurse looking at the flight teacher "And, thank you for your concerned, Professor Sprout, but I'm good now." she added with a smile at said teacher.

The fours eldest witches looked at the nymph with a confused expression until Madama Pomfrey decided that, knowing the young woman for more time than everyone else, she should be the first to apologize.

"We're sorry, dear. I think we got a bit carried away."

"Poppy's right, I think that last time I went to a wedding was almost twenty years ago." added professor Sprout with an apologetic smile

"We thought that since you don't have any family here we could help you." said professor McGonagall

"Yes, dear. None of us have a daughter and we thought that you would be happy to have four… sort of mothers to help you today!" explained Madama Pomfrey approaching her younger assistant to hug her.

"Thank you," the nymph whispered "I would really like that. But it's not a big deal." she tried to say "I don't even have a real wedding dress, I'll just wear…" but the poor woman didn't have the chance to say anything else after that. A collective gasp welcomed her explanation and after a second the four witches resumed their actions with renewed vigor.

"Rolanda, take care of her hairstyle. Pomona, go in the greenhouse and find something to make a bouquet. Poppy, you and I are going to make a wonderful, white wedding dress."

"Severus." Headmaster Dumbledore appeared in front of his young colleague "Ready for the big day?" he asked with twinkling eyes

"Albus." the potion professor nodded curtly without take his eyes off his godson tie.

The blonde boy arrived in his quarters at eight o'clock in the morning already wearing his silver formal robe and a crooked tie. That boy couldn't fasten his tie straight to save his life. Hiding a smile, the potion master summoned his house elf asking her to bring Potter in his quarters too. He sighed remembering his already long morning.

"_Harry, why aren't you wearing your formal robe?" he asked the boy after looking at him quickly_

"_I am, professor." the gryffindor said looking at the black school robe that he was currently wearing_

"_You can't wear that at the wedding." stated Draco matter on fact_

"_Why not?" the other boy voice was full of defiance_

"'_Cause is black, you dunderhead." said the fair hair boy stressing each syllable_

"_Draco." the potion master intervened before things escalated, he turned toward Harry explaining in the kindest tone he could use "You can't wear a black robe at the wedding…" he started_

"_But you are." the boy interrupted pointing at his dark robe_

"_I'm going to get changed." he remarked "I was trying to explain that wear a black robe at a wedding is considered bad luck."_

"_Oh. I…I didn't know." the boy blushed "I…never went to a wedding before, sir." he explained embarrassed_

"_It's not a big problem. Just go to your dorm and get changed." he told him_

"_I can't, sir." the boy's face was utterly red now_

"_And why not?" he was really trying to be patient and comprehensive, but he had to get married in two hours and he wasn't dressed yet!_

"'_Cause."_

"_Why not, Mr. Pot…Snape?" he scolded "It's too early in the morning to endure disobedience, boy."_

"_I wasn't being disobedient!" the boy said "It's just…I don't have any formal robe." he whispered at the carpet_

"_Draco, go get Harry one of your formal robe." the potion master ordered, glaring at his godson when he didn't move fast enough._

_Seeing that the man was literally at the end of his rope, the blonde boy went to obey but not before yelling over his shoulder_

"_I have a green slytherin one to spare!"_

"_We can change the color." he said at the now lightly revolted boy._

_After that brief argument, he managed to make both boys sit on the kitchen table and have breakfast while he went to his room to change clothes._

"Nice robe, boys." the headmaster complimented "You really look like a family, now." the old wizard winked going away, the potion master was ready to retort but looking at the two preteens who stood in front of him he realized that the old coot was right.

He was wearing Albus' present, after the engagement party the old wizard arrived in his quarters carrying a colorful package that contained one of the most elegant robes he ever saw.

It was a slytherin theme, of course. A silver robe with emerald velvet edges that matched the upper part of the robe front and, on his chest, a gold snake writhed to form a large _S_. The boys were both wearing white shirts and velvet ties that matches their robes, except that Draco one was silver while Harry's was green (Severus told the boy that he could change it in gryffindor color as soon as the little slytherin returned with that robe, but the boy had dismissed it saying that _green_ was is favorite color).

The unexpected result was that the color of both boys robes matches his own one and if anyone happened to look at them, they would think that the boys were really his own.

"Are we starting yet?" asked Draco. Again.

Every single Hogwarts student was seated on the patio in front of the old castle where the wedding would take place. The headmaster stood in front of the potion master while the two boys, after refusing to sit near their schoolmates, were allowed to stay near their adopted father like two little 'best men'.

"We can't start without your mother." the potion professor repeated for the hundreds time in the last ten minutes, he waited for his godson to huffed impatiently like all the hundred times before, but he was surprised

"She's here!" Draco said triumphantly

"She's bloody beautiful!" his other son chorused

"Language, boy." he reprimanded immediately even if he turned anyway "Only because it's my…" he forgot what he was saying as soon as he found his future wife slim figure at the end of the patio.

The young nymph was wearing a long dress of white silk, the rigid bodice was decorate with small silver roses and a bigger emerald one was set just below it. On her shoulder, she wore a soft green mantle with little silver roses on the edges. Her mahogany hair had been wagered on the top of her head and fell in gentle waves down her back.

She was gorgeous.

Only when Albus nudge him, the potion master realized that he was staring at her with his mount wide open making a fool of himself in front of his students. She walked between the two groups of chairs with indescribable grace fixing him in the eyes until they were both standing side to side in front of the headmaster.

"We have company." she murmured barely audible as soon as the headmaster started to welcome everyone

"Who?" he asked using the same low tone

"Lucius." she answered glancing briefly on his right where her father stood

"I think he want to prove that ours is only a marriage of convenience and that you aren't my mate." she said before turning her attention to the headmaster

"We are here together, in this glorious day, to witness the union of these two people." Albus Dumbledore intoned in a firm tone picking up a red lace "Like this lace will bind their wrists together," he said doing it "in the same way their love will melt their magic essence together." as soon as their wrists were bound together, the lace lit up, releasing a ruby string of magic that encircle both of them separately and then together, the headmaster smiled at them both before proceed

"Do you enter this marriage aware that from this moment on Magic will recognize you as one being?"

"We do." the said in unison

"Do you swear to welcome each child that will come from this union, whether they have magic or not?"

"We do."

"Then let your magic prove it." he said with a note of finality

"I, Desideria Marie Naiade, take you as my husband. I swear on my magic to be faithful to you always, in joy and sorrow, in sickness and health, to love and honor you every day of my life." she stated firmly tapping the ruby string with her wand

"I, Severus Tobias Snape, take you as my wife. I swear on my magic to be faithful to you always, in joy and sorrow, in sickness and health, to love and honor you every day of my life." after being tapped once by the potion master, the ruby string encircled them three times and glowed gold before disappearing.

A collective gasp rose from the people near them and the headmaster grew wider at that sight, but he continued with the most neutral voice he could managed

"You have sworn and proven your willingness to be one and so be it. Let this rings bear the witness of your will to the world." two simple gold rings appeared on their left fingers

"In front of these witness and Magic, I pronounce you husband and wife." the headmaster ended the ritual

Students and teachers cheered and after a while head toward the Great Hall where lunch was to be held.

"Wonderful ceremony!" said professor McGonagall approaching

"Oh, yes. I was almost crying." added Poppy hugging immediately her young assistant, but Draco reclaimed immediately his mother attention

"Yeah, but why did the string glow that way?" he asked confused

"I'm ashamed to have called you my son." the cold voice of Lucius Malfoy frozen their smiles

"What are you doing here, Lucius?" hissed Severus, unconsciously putting himself between the older slytherin and the three people who were his family

"Tut tut, Severus. I'm merely here to congratulate my daughter on her wedding day."

"Duly noted." the potion master said with the clear intention to dismiss him, but the blonde man ignore it

"I come here only to told my _dear_ daughter that the threat of a trial won't stop my request to regain custody of Draco."

"Draco's my son." the nymph said embracing the trembling boy fiercely "And, just so you know it, I started a trial against you, it isn't an empty threat." she said raising her chin

"You can't win! I'll tell the court that this wedding was a fake!" he shouted making both boy hide behind their parents

"Oh, but it wasn't." hissed the nymph in a low, silky tone that made Severus proud "You saw the string, don't you? It was gold and no even Merlin himself can fake the wedding string color." the old Malfoy hold her gaze for all of thirty seconds before storming toward the exit.

"It means something, then!" said Draco coming out from behind her

"What are you talking about, honey?" the young woman asked confused. Last time she had to confront Malfoy Draco was scared to death and now, after just a couple of seconds he was talking about this and that like nothing happened.

"The string. Does it means something special when it glows gold?" he asked eagerly

"Well, yes. It means that…"

"Told you!" the blonde boy told his adopted brother triumphant

"I didn't know." Harry protested

"Doesn't matter. You own my a Galleon." the little slytherin said turning toward the castle

"No monetary bets, boys." the potion master scolded mildly

"I'm not even ever gone to a muggle wedding! How could I know?" the dark haired boy shouted following the other boy

"Two chocolate frogs, then and your wedding experience is not my problem, Potter."

"It's Snape, dunderhead. And you cheated!" they continued to quarrel heading to lunch all the same, neither boys realizing that they left a group of speechless adults behind.

"They're quite an amusing couple." Albus chuckled, before addressing them seriously "However they're right. A gold wedding sting means something really special."

"I know." the nymph murmured

"I don't." the potion masters scowled "So, if you don't mind, explain me." he half ordered his wife

"A gold string means mate." she said

"What's so special? I already knew it." he scoffed

"It's not the same. It means _soul_ mate!" that he understood better

"Soul mate…like in the legend?"

"Exactly, my boy. Only, it's not a legend at all." said the headmaster putting a hand on his shoulder

"Soul mate means…a lot." he said trying to come to term with the news

"It means everything, Severus. It means that we could be in each other mind no matter the distance, that we could draw from each other magic…The bottom line is that we will be the two half of the same coin." they exchanged looks, lost in the deep meaning of their union until professor McGonagall break the tension

"What have you threatened to do at that poor child to make him wear slytherin green, Severus?"

"Nothing at all, Minerva." the potion master smirked and grateful for the interruption, he took his wife's arm and they walked together toward the Great Hall followed by the other teachers "He merely stated that _slytherin_ green happen to be is _favorite_ color." he added faking innocence when the old witch started fuming by the ears.

"Wonderful lunch, isn't it?" said the headmaster patting his stomach satisfied

"I'd agree, the house elves outdone themselves this time." said professor McGonagall distractedly while studying intently Severus and Desideria body language.

They were sitting near each other apparently ignoring one another, but for entire duration of the lunch they kept brushing each other every few moment and then their eyes would looked for an instant until one of them, most likely Desideria, would look away blushing.

"You saw that too, don't you?" Poppy whispered from her right

"A blind would see it, Poppy." the Scottish witch remarked

"I know. We have to do something." murmured the healer in a low voice

"What can we do? We can't tie them together…" she commented sarcastically

"I know it!" the other witch yelled attracting half head table attention but, luckily for them the spouses were part of the other half "I have an idea!" the healed said in a much lower tone.

Like for the engagement party, all tabled were moved to make enough room to dance in the middle of the Great Hall, so Madama Pomfrey had only to flick her wrist to make the music appear.

"What a coincidence!" she said loud enough to be heard by everyone on the head table "Severus, Desideria, you should really dance this one."

"Oh, no. I don't dance." the nymph protests were immediately chorused by her husband's ones

"There's no need to us to dance, Poppy."

"Don't be ridiculous, you two." said professor McGonagall "You have to dance because…" she hesitated but Albus saved her

"Because it brings good luck. It's a well known wedding tradition, children, you should know it."

Severus eyed his employer diffidently, but he seemed to accept the strange theory because he rose and extend his hand to his wife just as the first words of the song echoed across the Great Hall

_My love, here I stand before you_

_I am yours now, from this moment on._

Desideria took his hand and walk with him in the centre of the room attiring the attention of all the Great Hall when they started to dance.

_Take my hand,_

_only you can stop me shaking. We'll share forever._

_This I promise you._

He rested his hands on the soft curve of her hips, and after a second he felt her hands locking uncertainly behind his neck putting them almost eye to eye.

_And when I look in your eyes,_

_all of my life feels before me,_

_and I'm not running anymore_

'_cause I already know I'm home._

She was his wife. No, they were more than husband and wife. They were soul mates. She already knew every bit of his dark past. Everything about his father, his pureblood family and probably even his mark, but she married him nonetheless.

_With every beat of my heart,_

_I give you my love completely._

_My darling, this I promise you._

She blushed slightly when their eyes locked. How could the same person blush so easily and blow up an entire infirmary in a heartbeat was beyond his comprehension. She bent her head slightly so that it rested on his chest, just above his heart.

_My love, I can feel your heartbeat_

_as we dance now, closer than before._

Looking at her bent mahogany head he couldn't help but think that maybe that was precisely that the reason why she was _his_ soul mate. She was strong enough to fight her own battles, but she could also give him the loving family that he always dreamt.

_Don't let go. Don't let go_

'_cause I can almost cry now._

_This is forever, I make this vow to you._

They would live side by side. Forever. Strangely, this thought didn't scared him anymore. He could feel her racing heartbeat and her warm breath against his robe, on instinct he tighten his hold on her hips bringing her closer and she rose her dark eyes to look at him again.

_And when I look in your eyes,_

_all of my life feels before me,_

_and I'm not running anymore_

'_cause I already know I'm home._

Since when he was such a lucky man? He was holding a beautiful wife in his arms and he had not one, but two sons who needed his love and protection.

_With every beat of my heart,_

_I give you my love completely._

_My darling, this I promise you._

He bent his head slightly hoping that her sweet scent could calm him, but he found himself with his lips just inches from his wife's.

_My darling, this I promise you._

He bent further until their lips locked. And while he savored that sweet, gentle kiss, he forget about everything else.


	11. Chapter 11

**A.N. Again sorry for the mistakes! I hope you like this chapter, it was a bit difficult to write.**

**Anyway, I PASS MY ENGLISH EXAM! Hooray for me! Only two more exams and then I will officially start my summer and that means…more time to write!**

**CHAPTER 11- TELLING THE OTHERS**

"What?" every person within six feet turned toward the youngest Weasley

"Don't yell!" hissed Harry between clenched teeth, he grabbed his friend's sleeve and dragged him in the nearest empty corner of the Hall "I don't know if I'm supposed to tell you!" he explain throwing worried glances at the head table where his newly adoptive parents were talking with the headmaster

"This…this is insane, mate!" the redhead continued freeing his arm "He's Snape!"

"I know!" the little gryffindor said looking around to make sure nobody was listening

"Then why in Merlin's name did you accept this…this thing?" he asked again, eyes wide with incredulity

"They didn't exactly ask my opinion."

"What? You have to protest! I mean, he's _Snape_! You know, the most heated professor of all Hogwarts! Ginny hates him and she has never even met him, for Merlin sake!"

"But…" the green eyed boy tried to explain, but the other boy wasn't listening, too busy in finding a solution for his friend problem

"We have to find a solution. There must be one!"

"I don't need…"

"We could talk with the twins, they know a lot of pranks that could help us. No, better Billy, he knows the nastiest curses after the unforgivable ones!"

"Curses? No…"

"Don't worry, mate. I will save you."

"Shut up, Ron!" the dark haired boy shouted, finally managing to stop his friend tirade "I don't need to be saved. I don't _want_ to." he said emphasizing the last word

"You don't want to?" he asked with disbelief

"Yes, Ron. I want to be part of their family. I…I never had one." he repeated. He really want him to understand this.

"But why _Snape_? He's…he's a git, everyone know it!" the redhead kept shouting

"I know, but he…he's not so bad."

"Not bad? He made you wear slytherin green."

"He didn't make me. I wanted to…" it seemed that was the last straw for the taller boy because he stiffened

"So you're already switching side."

"What? What side are you talking about?"

"They're the bad guys, Harry. I heard Charlie said that Snape was a Death Eater."

"He was what?" the boy asked confused, but Ron wasn't listening anymore

"I can't be friend with one of them, Harry."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm sorry. We can't be friend anymore." Harry felt lost. Ron was his friend. His best mate.

"We can't be friend?" he repeated incredulous

"You hear me, Harry. You really chose the worst family ever." the redhead seemed oblivious of his friend thoughts "Everyone could be better than them."

"It's not true!" the dark haired boy yelled. He didn't know why, but he felt the need to defend his new family. Desideria and Professor Snape knew how he was treated at the Dursleys and decided to adopt him, he told them he was a freak and they told him he was just a child and he deserved love (Professor Snape even said that if he heard Harry say it again he would wash his mount out!). Professor Snape hated him, but he hadn't beaten him like uncle Vernon did, he had explained rules and consequences so that Harry knew what to expect.

"They…they want me!"

"Sure!" the other boy said rolling his eyes as if he had just said something unbelieving

"They want me I said! You're just jealous 'cause I have a family now!"

"Jealous? Don't be ridiculous Potter!"

"You want to have parents like mine instead of yours who are always too busy dealing with your brothers to even remember you're there!"

"How dare you?" Ron blushed deeply before pushing him roughly, Harry recovered quickly and stepped forward ready to strike but a voice stopped them both

"What are you two doing?" Percy Weasley, Ron's older brother, stepped between the two first years

"Nothing." Harry answered before Ron had the chance to open his mount, he passed through the small crowd which had gathered around them and disappeared behind the Great Hall doors.

* * *

"So you're the new nurse's son." Marcus Flint, the slytherin Quidditch captain, stopped in front of Draco

"Yes, I am." the younger boy answered raising his chin with pride

"Then why did you say you were a Malfoy?"

"Mr. Malfoy is a family friend. He took care of me until my mother didn't…solve some problems." he dutifully repeated the story his godfather taught him "It was a safety precaution."

"And about Snape?"

"What about him?" the fair head boy asked raising an eyebrow suspiciously

"You know what. _They_ think that he's a spy." the older boy was speaking quietly, studying carefully his answer to know where he and his family stood. Luckily for Draco, the Quidditch captain's attentions was drawn to what looked like a small fight at the other end of the Great Hall.

Both of them headed in that direction to see what happened and Draco was surprised to see Weasley fight with Potter. He heard Harry yelling something about the Weasleys before the two were separated by a prefect and the dark hair boy headed outside without another word.

"What happened Ron?" the prefect, that Draco recognized to be one of many Weasley's older brothers, asked again grasping his little brother arm

"Nothing, Percy. He's just being an idiot!" the young redhead was still angry at his friend

"Then why were you yelling like banshees?" he asked again

"I tried to explain him that they're not a good family! I mean…"

"Who are you talking about, Ron?"

"Snape. He and his wife adopted him, Percy! And Harry refused to understand that they want him only to turn him at You-Know-Who the first chance they get! She's even Malfoy's mother!"

"They adopted Harry?" Percy asked confused

"Yeah! And he don't understand that anything good can come from the greasy git decision!"

"Oi!" Draco yelled attracting the attention of the increasingly crowds on himself "Who are you calling greasy git, Weasley!"

"Whoever I want, death eater's spawn!" Ron yelled back, his arm still imprisoned by his brother grip

"Take it back, you penniless loser!" the blonde boy shouted closing his fits furiously

"It's true, Malfoy! Snape's a bastard like all you slytherin!"

"He's my godfather you git! And better slytherin that stupid gryffindor!" as soon as the insults started to be direct toward the houses, the other students took part in the fight. Slytherin defending Draco and Gryffindor at Ron's side, even if they didn't know what the two first year were fighting about.

"What's going on here?" thundered a voice that Draco knew all too well.

All the slytherin froze on the spot as soon as they heard their Head of House voice, Severus Snape stood a couple of feet in front of them, arms crossed and a deep frown that promised trouble.

"Mr. Pucey," he asked turning toward a group of third years "please let go of Mr. Jordans' throat and tell me what the meaning of this little wrestling of yours is."

"Yes, sir." was the dutiful answer "We heard a bit of turmoil and when we arrived that little Gryffindor was saying that all slytherin are bastards, sir." the young slytherin explained glaring a said first year

"Mr. Weasley, why did you think that insult my house was fine?" the professor asked

"Malfoy insulted me first!" the redhead defended himself, but when he turned around Snape saw his godson disappeared behind the other students directly toward the Great Hall doors.

* * *

Harry stopped only when he reached the middle of the Forbidden Forest. He felt so lonely.

How could his best friend don't understand? He wasn't thrilled to have Snape as a father neither, but was willing to overlook it if that meant have a family.

He sat on a rock in silence for almost five minutes before hearing a strange noise coming from the direction of the castle.

Harry stood immediately and pulled out his wand ready to defend himself from whatever animals was coming, but when he squinted to see better he discovered that no animals was coming to get him.

Draco Malfoy was murmuring under his breath and didn't notice Harry until he practically stood in front of him

"What are you doing here?" the blonde boy asked acidly

"None of your business." the other boy answered in the same cold tone "And I could ask you same thing."

"And you will get the same answer, genius." they sat together in silence. Side by side even if neither of them wanted to share his own thoughts.

"Uhm…Thank you for the robe." Harry said after a while

"You're welcome." was the sheepish reply "However, why didn't you have one?" the little slytherin asked resuming his usual haughty tone

"It…it wasn't on the list."

"The list? You mean the one they sent with the acceptation letter?"

"Uh uh." the dark haired boy nodded

"Of course it wasn't!" the blonde boy seemed scandalized "That was only a…guide list! It's not like you could live with only a couple of black robes!" he snorted turning around just in time to see the other boy blushing till the tip of his ears

"Don't tell me you have only those robes!" but Harry hadn't the time to reply because a female voice came from their right

"Harry! Draco! Where are you, boys?"

"Mum?" Draco said standing while the nymph appeared from behind the trees

"Here you are!" she almost yelled approaching the two boys who now stood in front of the rock "We were looking for you for hours!" the young woman said, worry clear in each of her movements. She kneel beside them, touching their faces and arms to reassured herself that her boys were safe

"Hours? We came here just…well no more than twenty minutes ago!" Draco said feigning annoyance even if he secretly enjoyed the attentions

"Twenty minutes? It's past dinner time! You were gone for almost four hours!" the nymph scolded.

The boys looked around and noticed for the first time that the sky wasn't so light anymore and they could clearly see the castle lights in the background.

"Sorry!" Harry, obviously, was the first one who apologized "We…we didn't realized it!" he said clearly in distress. Desideria sighed loudly before smiling, her eyes full of love and understanding like usual.

"Yeah. We didn't mean to scare you, mum." the blonde boy added, hoping against hope that his mother didn't noticed that they were not supposed to be in the Forest no matter what.

"I know and you're more than forgiven." she rose and took each of the boys' hands on her own "Let's go home, now." both boys smiled happy to not be in trouble, until the young woman said looking straight ahead

"But I think you'd better find a good excuse for Severus. I don't know if he's more worried or angry at your disappearing act but I'm sure he will not be happy when you'll say him where you were." and so they headed towards the castle. A smiling nymph and two worried boys.

* * *

He was pacing the room, restless like a lion in a cage. Where the hell were those two boys? Albus persuaded him to not follow Draco, said that the boy would return in half an hour. And when, after a couple of seconds, Desideria informed him that Harry disappeared too, the headmaster decided to calm the newly parents showing them their new quarters.

Severus had to admit that it was helpful. That and Minerva constant murmuring about how preteen need space on their own, especially in days stressful like that.

And so, Severus and Desideria tried not to think about their boys while the headmaster and the transfiguration teacher accompanied them along the corridor of the dungeon. They passed Severus' old quarters and stopped in front of Salazar Slytherin portrait.

"Mr. and Mrs. Snape, what an honor!" the founder greeted them

"Mr. Slytherin!" Desideria seemed happy to see him "You knew about those new quarters?"

"Of course, my dear." was the only reply before the portrait moved to reveal an old wood door.

The door led directly into a large living room with hardwood floor and walls in warm earth tones. At the centre of the room stood a comfortable beige sofa, at its sides two matching loveseats and in front of it a large marble fireplace.

In front of the living room there was a large kitchen furnished with fridge, stove and everything needed for cooking and a long wooden table that had seats up to eight people.

A long wall separated those two rooms from one that was designed to be Severus' study (that was directly linked at his own potion lab!), a little bathroom.

They climbed the stairs and discovered that, apart Severus and Desideria's room that had its own private bathroom, there were two others bathroom and five bedrooms.

"Five!" Severus spluttered "Albus, we don't need so many rooms!"

"Now, now, my boy. You just got married and are still young." the headmaster said twinkling madly "I'm sure you'll find a way to…fill all this rooms!" and luckily for him, the headmaster of course, Desideria decided to chose that exact moment to intervene

"Severus! The boys are gone for almost two hours now!"

"Two hours!" he thundered before turning toward the older wizard again "See? I told you I had to look for them." and despite his smile, the headmaster was worried too.

"I'm sure they're in the Great Hall." Professor McGonagall tried to reassure them.

They returned in the Great Hall but the boys where nowhere in sight, they searched almost every room in the castle. When the sky began to darken and the students headed toward their dormitories, it was decided that Severus would wait in their quarters because he was to angry to be helpful, and while the other professors continued to look in the castle, Desideria would search outside.

Severus Snape was almost ready to strode outside those damn quarters when he heard his wife voice

"Those are our new quarters. I will give you a tour tomorrow because I'm sure your father has something to say you right now."

"That's for sure." he said towering over the two bent headed boys "Where were you?" he asked barely restraining his need to touch both of them (Yes, even Potter.) to reassured himself that they weren't hurt in any way. Neither boy answered and Desideria decided to explain what happened in their place.

"They were talking."

"Talking?" he echoed raising his eyes at her level, and then he added confused "What were they talking about for _four_ hours?"

"That's something you had to ask them." she said nodding toward the boys "I should tell the others that we find them. I'll be back in…twenty minutes?" they both know that she didn't need to find the other professors to tell them where the boys were, but Severus knew also that his wife didn't want to be in the quarters while he punished the boys so he just nodded and she went outside.

"Well? Where were you?" he asked crossing his arms over his chest. Both boys' eyes were glued on the floor so he reached out and lift Draco's chin first

"I…We were outside, sir." the little boy swallowed nervously

"Outside where?" he asked raising Harry's chin this time

"In…The forest, sir."

"And when you said forest you mean the _Forbidden_ Forest?" he asked restraining his fury, this time a chorus of 'yes, sir' replied immediately

"Why were you there?"

Draco told immediately about his row with the Weasley boy and when he mentioned Harry's name, the other boy explained what happened to him too.

The potion master let the boys fidgeting for a bit, privately thinking that they were _partially_ justified but he really couldn't overlook their little escape in the forbidden forest. That place was really dangerous without adding that Lucius was still looking for a way to get back Draco and there were hundreds of Death Eater ready to kill Harry.

"Seeing that today is a special day" he started and the boys glanced at him, eyes full of hope for a reprieve "and that this is your first real offence since we adopted you, I'm inclined to give you a…let's call it a warning punishment." Draco hided his smirk a second to late, he was used to his godfather soft heart, but Harry's face was priceless, bulging eyes and everything.

"_However_," the professor added immediately "if I ever catch you two in the forbidden forest again you won't sit down for a week, understood?" he waited for the boys reply before sending both of them in a different corned with an heavy smack

"You can stand here and think about how much we were worried. And I expect both of you to apologize to your mother when she came back, clear?"

"Yes, sir."

**A.N. If you want to see a house plan of the Snapes new quarters here are the links (just replace spaces with dots) :**

**GROUND FLOOR**

**http:/i839 photobucket com/albums/zz319/dcbluerose88/details%20that%20change%20a%20life/groundfloor jpg  
**

**FIRST FLOOR**

**http:/i839 photobucket com/albums/zz319/dcbluerose88/details%20that%20change%20a%20life/firstfloor jpg  
**


	12. Chapter 12

**A.N. I reposted the 11****th**** chapter with the right link -.-' ****Hope you'll like this chapter and…don't forget to review!**

**CHAPTER 12- NOT A GOOD START  
**

The boys spent all twenty minutes in the corner in perfect silence. Severus sent both of them upstairs to take a bath before sitting on the soft couch and enjoying his Potion Journal while he waited for his wife to return.

After what seemed to be only a couple of minutes, he heard the boys moving upstairs, the Potion Master was ready to explain the brats that having a bath meant at least _touch_ the soap, but a glance at his wristwatch told him that it was almost nine o'clock. Desideria should have been there half an hour ago.

Shaking his head, he thought that she was probably talking with Poppy or Minerva, so he just asked Cindy to bring something to eat for the boys and resume his reading.

"Where's mum?" asked Draco as soon as he entered the room

"She'll be here soon." taking out his wand he transfigure the blonde boy casual clothes in comfortable pyjamas and repeat the same with Harry when he too appeared in the doorway a few second later.

"Thank you, sir." the little gryffindor said politely while the other boy was already heading for the kitchen

"Is that roast beef?"

"Yes, it is. And those are carrots and peas, I aspect you to eat _all_ of it." he said following the boys.

"Uncle Sev?" Draco called him interrupting the silence, the potion master turned toward him nodding at the boy to continue "Why are we in these quarters?"

"Headmaster Dumbledore thought that we need larger quarters now." he replied

"You mean that these are ours?"

"That what I said, isn't it?" he asked sarcastically, but the boy ignored him

"Can I choose my room? There are lots of them upstairs!"

"I don't see why you shouldn't. You too, Harry." he said turning toward the other boy who continued to eat in silence without heeding their conversation.

"Harry, did you hear me?"

"What?" the boy raised his head hastily hearing his name

"I said that after dinner you can choose your room."

"My room?" the boy repeated clueless

"What are you, daft?" Draco asked with a sneer "He already said that!" Severus was ready to scold his godson for his manners, but the little gryffindor called his attention first

"But you said I don't have to!" the boy let his fork fall against the plate thus making the peas fly everywhere, including over Draco's robe

"Ehi! Watch it, you dunderhead!"

Severus knew very well, that any other day he would have scolded Draco for his poor language and Harry for his totally lack of respect, but the boy's eyes full of betrayal stopped him

"What are you talking about, Harry?" he noted that the boy relaxed slightly at the use of his first name

"You said I don't have to sleep here." Harry replied calmer, although he was still standing

"I never said that." the potion master said

"Liar! You said I can sleep in my dorm if I respect the stupid curfew!" the little boy protested stomping his feet and finally, and even if the potion master didn't condone to be called 'liar', the meaning of the boy little outburst was now perfectly clear

"Apparently, I haven't explained it well enough." the young professor said calmly "Sit back down, Harry." the boy obeyed almost immediately, but he was still looking at him wearily

"What? Uncle Sev! He called you liar!" Draco shouted

"I know, Draco, but I think it's partially my fault." and before either boys could talk again he cleared his throat and leaned better against his chair.

"First of all, I'm sure you misunderstood my words, Harry." he started "You're right, yesterday I said that you can sleep in your dorm with your school mates and that what's going to happen most of the time." he explained "However, having a parent in the school staff has vantages and disadvantages. Obviously, sleep here instead of in your dorm when you're being punished is a disadvantage, but having your own room here is clearly a vantage. Everything clear, now?" Harry just shocked his head

"No, sir. How can having a room in yours and Mrs. Snape quarters be a vantage?"

"Are you stupid or what?" Draco asked looking at the other boy in disbelief "It's not only a vantage, having a room down here its great! If the other boys are annoying you 'cause they snore or talk too loud you had merely to came here instead of stay awake all night. And if you fight with you best mate like today you can stay there with them instead of alone. I came here every..." the little slytherin had begun to list all the vantage to have a parent, or a godfather, in the school staff, but he was suddenly interrupted by Harry

"It's different!"

"Different?" the blonde boy echoed "Why? They have adopted you too."

"Yeah, but you're Mrs. Snape's _real_ son. You know, blood of her blood and everything else."

Severus had let the boys talk hoping to understand what Harry's problem was, but now he didn't know what to do. He looked briefly at his wristwatch. Twenty to ten.

Where was Desideria?

Now he had to deal with the boys alone. He sighed and rose from his seat.

"All right, we're going in the living room." he stated firmly stopping his godson protest before he could voice it "I heard everything, Draco. I just need a more comfortable seat and probably a strong tea."

He conjured three cups of tea and a couple of biscuits for the boys, and as soon as they had settled he started his speech, trying to be as clear as possible.

"Harry, I think your concept of family is a bit...confused, but it's probably our fault. We should have explained better the meaning of this adoption." he sipped his tea slowly before continuing

"First of all, it doesn't matter if we are blood-relatives or not. We are a family. So I don't want to hear again that Draco is more important that you because of it, understood?" he asked adding a bit of steel in his voice. Harry nodded, but he was sure that it was more out of habit than because he really understood the meaning of his previous statement, Draco, instead, was sitting cross-legged and biting at his biscuit absent-mindedly

"That means that we will take care of you exactly the same way. As Draco was saying, you are _both_ welcome here at any times, night or day. It's _your_ home too." the little gryffindor looked at him wide eyed, he obviously hadn't thought about it that way.

"Why are you so surprised?" asked Draco clearly annoyed by the situation. His godson had many defects, but thank to Severus, he knew the meaning of family and he knew that Harry Potter was now part of his. "Did you expect him to punish you for everything and forget about you the rest of the time?" the fair headed boy's eyes grew impossible wide when he saw the other boy tiny nod "What?" he shouted

"Calm down, Draco." Severus said quietly putting a hand on his godson arm

"But uncle Sev! He..."

"I know, Draco." he said mildly amused by the boy outrage "Do you remember that your mother told you that you and Harry have a lot of things in common?" he asked quietly looking the boy in the eyes

"Yes, but..."

"Draco, can you imagine what would you think about being part of a family if I wasn't there while you were growing up?" he saw the little boy eyes moisten at the thought, so he took the boy's hand with the intention to sit him on his lap for a hug, but all of sudden, Draco resisted his light hold

"That's why you have only three robes, isn't it?" he asked looking at Harry with realization. The other boy blushed deeply ducking his head, but didn't answer and before Severus could ask the meaning of the question his godson turned to him

"Uncle Sev! Before...when we were in the forest, I mean. Harry told me that he have just what was on the list. You know, the one you send with the acceptation letter. And there were only a couple of black robes listed and nothing else!" the potion master released the boy hand and stood up only to sit a second later on the other couch, the one on which was sitting Harry.

"Harry." he called him once, but the boy didn't move "Harry, look at me, please." he asked raising the boy's chin whit a gentle finger "Is that true?" the tears of shame in his eyes were answer enough, however the potion master was taken by surprise by the soft voice that murmured

"I'm sorry, sir."

"Sorry? For what?" he asked

"For not buying the right robes?"

Severus sighed heavily. He wasn't good at this soppy things, especially not now that he was tired, and damn worried for that inconsiderate of his newly wife that was more than an hour late!

He sighed again, this time trying to remember that Harry was an abused kid and that it wasn't his fault if those muggles didn't find the time to explain the boy that adults were supposed to take care of him and not the other way around.

"All right. Harry look at me because I don't want to repeat it again." he gripped the boy's chin firmly in his hand "It's not your fault. The way those people treated you is inadmissible. You are a child and children aren't supposed to buy clothes by themselves or cooking meals for all the family or work as house elves. Children are children." he shocked the boy's chin lightly to emphasize his point "From now on your only duty is to be a child, understood?" the little gryffindor nodded, eyes full of tears that melted the potion master's heart.

"Very well. As soon as possible we will go to Diagon Alley and buy you all the clothes you need. And before I forget," he added remembering the way the boy had referred to their quarters "those are _ours_ quarters. Yours too, not only mine and Desideria. In this regard, you don't have to call us professor or Mrs. Snape. You can use our first name and, if and when you're ready, we'll be glad to be called Mum and Dad." the young professor said, seeing the tears in the boy's eyes he was going to hug him when the healed head appeared in the Floo.

"Severus! Hurry up!"

"Poppy, what's the mean..."

"No time for questions, Severus! You're wife is in coma!" she medi-witch yelled before her head disappeared again.

* * *

He was in the infirmary in a flash, both boys right behind him

"What happened?" he asked approaching the door that separated him from his wife, but the Headmaster block his steps

"Severus. Calm down, my boy." he said putting a hand on the young professor shoulder

"Calm down? How can I calm down? My wife is in coma!" he yelled, not even a hint of his usual coldness in his voice

"Severus." repeated Albus more firmly "You need to calm down." he tightened his grip on the man shoulder until he felt his muscle relax slightly

"Thank you. Now, I will explain you everything we know, but I think it's better if Minerva take the boys in your quarters first." he said in a low tone nodding toward said boys. Severus turned around and at the sight he felt a grip at his heart.

Draco and Harry stood just inside the infirmary, back against the door, so close that it seemed that they were holding hands. They were still wearing their pyjamas and that only add to their lost little boys look. The potion master took a deep breath and approached his son and using the calmest tone he could master, tried to reassure them

"Everything's ok." he started but, if the matching raise eyebrows meant something, neither of them bought the lie "Well, everything's going to be ok." he amended "But I need you to go back in our quarters with professor McGonagall while I talk with the Headmaster." he said and, obviously the boys started protesting

"But I want to know what happened to mum!" Draco said with a notch of desperation in his voice, Harry kept silent but he was clearly thinking the same thing

"I know, boys." he tried to reasoning "Let's make a deal, ok?" he asked looking at each boy in turn "You'll go with Professor McGonagall now, and I'll Floo-call you as soon as I have news." the two first years exchanged a looks and, luckily, after a couple of seconds nodded

"Thank you. Now, promise me you'll try to sleep." he said noticing their tired eyes and before they could start to protest he added "I'm sure Minerva will wake you up if I call, don't you?" he asked turning toward the with that was now standing near them

"Of course, dears. Let's go now, so they can start healing your mum." she said, gently putting a hand on each boy shoulder to guide them outside.

As soon as the boys were out of sight, the potion master turner toward his employer

"I want to know what happened. Now!" he thundered

"Unfortunately, there's not much to say." the headmaster said shaking his head slightly "I run in Desideria in the corridor and she told me that you found the boys so I sent a Patronus to Minerva that were with Poppy and told them to meet us there." The old wizard resumed, his eyes empty of the usual twinkling "She explained us about the boys and after that she just turned around to go back to your quarters. We were close to Minerva's study so we took a tea and talked a bit."

"Headmaster! What happened to my wife?" Severus asked, not interested in the old man babbling at the moment.

"I was getting there, my boy. After an hour or so we were going back to our own quarters, but we found Desideria on the floor. Just a couple of feet from where we saw her last time. We brought her in here and as soon as Poppy cast a couple of diagnostic spell she Floo-called you." in that exact moment, the little door behind the Headmaster opened to let Madama Pomfrey step in the room

"Severus!" she yelled seeing her young colleague "Come in!" she said entering the other room again.

Fortunately, there was no student in the infirmary that night. Desideria lay in the bed nearest the door. Between the boys escaped and everything else, she didn't have the time to change, so she was still wearing her wedding dress. Despite the situation, her featured were relaxed; in fact it seemed almost that she was smiling.

"Her vital signs are normal. Blood pressure, heart rate. All perfectly normal." the healer said standing at the opposite side of the bed

"Then, why isn't she waking up?" he asked

"I don't know, Severus." was the soft reply "I tried everything I know of. Every spell or potions, but until I don't know what happened I can't do anything else."

Severus Snape found himself slowly reaching out to hesitantly caress his wife hand.

"Are you sure that you can't do anything else?" he asked, his eyes never leaving the nymph face

"I'm sorry, Severus. Technically, she's just sleeping. We have to wait that she wake up." whispered Madama Pomfrey.

* * *

Albus and Poppy exit the room quietly, leaving him alone. He conjured a chair and sat near the bed.

How can so many things happen in a single day? He thought sitting down tired, he seemed impossible that he got married less that twelve hours ago. And after Poppy transfigured the wedding dress in a long nightdress, it really seemed only a distant memory. He met that woman less than a month ago and now she was his wife. Well, his in-coma wife.

Everything seemed a dream.

In twenty days he found himself married with a beautiful woman, a nymph nonetheless, and father of two children.

"So much for _Snivellius_." he snorted remembering the hated nickname of his schooldays. He looked down, stupidly thinking that he could disturb his wife sleep.

"Weren't the boys enough to make my hair grey?" he thrown an half hearted glare at the woman that lied on the bed "First I discovered that you are my godson's mother and that Lucius' daughter and, like it wasn't enough, you somehow convince me to adopt the Boy-who-lived. Between Lucius henchmen and the Death Eaters, who are exactly the same people by the way, we risk to be killed at least once a year, are you aware of this?" he asked at the sleeping nymph.

He leaned against the chair trying to get at least some sleep, he had just closed his eyes when he heard scream coming from what seemed the corridor just outside the infirmary. Wand in hand, he rose and, after a last glance at his defenceless wife, went to find out what all that noise was about.

The wooden door of the infirmary burst open letting in an unknown middle age woman followed by the Headmaster and the Transfiguration teacher that was currently yelling

"I want to know who you are!" the professor demanded with firmness

"There is no time!" the other woman replied without turning around but was suddenly lifted by an invisible force coming from the Scottish woman

"I want to know who are you and how did you manage to enter the castle." she repeated unmoved

"I need to see her before its too late!" the woman shouted

"Who are you looking for, madam?" asked the Headmaster, none of them seemed to have notice the potion master currently leaning against the doorframe

"Desideria! Who else?"

"Who are you?" Severus asked drawing the general attention to himself, the woman seemed ready to strike him but he merely raised an eyebrow and played distractedly with his wand while studying her with attention.

All in all she seemed a normal middle age woman, but there was something strangely familiar in her. He looked at her again, studying the woman from the tip of her dark hair to her out-of-date...slippers?

"I'm Desideria's mother. And you'd better tell me where's my daughter, young man."


	13. Chapter 13

CHAPTER 13- THE BRIDE'S MOTHER

As soon as they reached Severus' quarters, both boys sat on the couch, Professor McGonagall sat directly in front of them and tried a couple of times to start a conversation only to stare at two almost catatonic students, sat as still as statues in perfect silence.

After an hour or so she saw that Harry was dozing off and even Draco had his eyes closed so she suggested them to go to bed

"I'm fine here, professor." said the little gryffindor

"Me too. We'll wait for mum here." added the other boy

"It's past eleven, you should be in bed for hours now." she said, but the boys just lean further against the sofa again "You have promised Severus you would go to sleep." the transfiguration teacher tried again and this time the boys exchange looks.

_That's the key, then._ She thought evilly before opening casually her book

"But I'm sure he wouldn't mind." she said looking at them from behind the cover "It wasn't an order, after all, was it?" this time the boys looked slightly worried "Because I'm sure that if that was an order you would be in bed by now." she didn't need to count to three before the little brats surrender

"Hump...Thinking about it, I'm a bit sleepy, now." said Draco rising

"Yeah, I'm going to bed too. Goodnight professor." echoed Harry after a second

"Goodnight, boys. Sweet dreams." she replied barely hiding a smile of triumph.

She leaned against the sofa ready to take a nap while waiting for news about Desideria. Only ten minutes later, the Deputy Headmistress' amulet warmed up signaling that someone entered the castle without permission and, after flicking her wand briefly, the witch leaved the quarters.

* * *

Harry stopped in the middle of the little upstairs hallway

"What happens now?" asked Draco

"Nothing it's just that we didn't choose the bedroom yet." he said looking at the other boy. They stood there for a couple of seconds until the slytherin headed toward the master bedroom

"What are you doing?" the dark haired boy asked half worried half curious

"I'm going to bed, what else?" Draco replied like that was the most obvious thing in the world

"That's not your room!" said Harry following the other boy nonetheless

"I know. And don't yell! Do you want McGonagall to hear?" the older boy hissed between clenched teeth

"Why are you here, then?" asked Harry again in a lower tone

"Look, Potter..."

"Snape."

"Argh! Look, _Snape_ I don't want to sleep in a random bedroom and I'm not going to choose mine right now. That's my parents' bedroom so I'm going to sleep here until I can choose my own." Draco said climbing on the large bed and lying under the white sheets.

"I don't think Professor Snape will agree." Harry said sceptically before heading toward the corridor again

"Where are you going?" Draco sat up

"I'm not going to sleep here, Malfoy." Harry told him sneering a little

"I'm a Snape too, you dunderhead!" the slytherin glared

"Well, _Snape_, I'm not going to sleep in here seeing that there are _five_ other free bedrooms." Harry said

"You can't!" the other boy jumped out of bed

"Why not?" the little gryffindor was rapidly losing his patience

"'Cause I didn't choose which is my room!" Draco protested. He understood that Harry was now part of his family, but that didn't mean that he was going to treat him any different!

"Where I'm supposed to sleep then? On the floor?" Draco crossed his arms before saying

"You can't choose the room before me."

"Choose your room then!" _what was the problem with that slytherin?_ Harry thought tired "I just want go to sleep."

"Sleep in here." Draco said

"What? I'm not going to sleep in Snape's bed!"

"Why not? Have you ever slept in your relatives' bed?" for a brief moment the blonde boy forget what little he knew about Harry's life, but his comment was enough to make Harry angry

"I didn't have even a bed there! I just slept in a bloody cupboard with spiders and brooms, you git!" Harry yelled before slamming the door shut leaving a shocked Draco on the other side.

* * *

Meanwhile in the infirmary, Severus Snape was openly staring at his mother-in-law. Looking more closely, he noted that she had her daughter's eyes and the same flaming hair, but more than that she had the same look that his wife wore while scolding Draco. Shame that this time, the infamous looks was direct to him.

"Well, what are you waiting for, young man? I want to see my daughter!" the woman repeated, hands on her hips. Severus just opens the door behind him

"It seems that your daughter has nothing serious, the healer said it's as she is simply sleeping. The problem is that we don't know how and if we can wake her up." he explained briefly while the woman approached Desideria's bed.

He saw the nymph caress her daughter's hair with infinite kindness before putting the same hand a few inches above the younger nymph's head and frowning deeply

"I can't go inside! What did you do to her?" she yelled

"Nothing! I don't even know what happened!"

"You must have done something otherwise I could still get inside her mind!" the woman start shouting in a foreign language, probably Italian while gesturing madly above her daughter's sleeping body and Severus lost his temper

"What the hell happened to my wife?"

He had never thought that a human could move so fast. The woman was on his side in a blink, eyes flashing with anger

"Your _wife_? Are you implying that my own daughter get married without telling me, boy?"

Now, how can you answer honestly to that question without provoking a nymph's outburst?

"I'm sure she has a good explanation, madam, one of which I'm not aware, unfortunately." he said "Now, can you tell me about her condition, please?" he tried to remain calm

"My daughter arrived in Britain less than a month ago, boy, and I'm positive she had no boyfriend." the old nymph snapped "Now, how came you have so much hurry to get married?" she looked at him searching

"We had no hurry, madam. We discovered to be mates and we thought that it would be better for the child if we get married before…" but he didn't have the chance to finish his explanation

"_Child_? She's not pregnant, is she?" she stepped forward arms crossed on her chest and a firm scowl planted on her face, she almost resembled his own mother when she was in a mood and for the first time in almost fifteen years he was scared of a woman

"No! Of course not! I was talking about Draco, Desideria's son." he explained as fast as his pride would allow

"Her son? He died eleven years ago."

"He didn't. Lucius Malfoy kidnapped him and registered him at St. Mungo as his own son."

"He what?" the nymph eyes darkened deeply, exactly as did those of her daughters only a second before she blew up the entire infirmary. Time for some damage control.

"I'm sure Desideria will explain everything in every detail as soon as you have told me how to wake her up." that seems to calm the woman down

"At least now I understand why she did it." she said turning loving eyes on her daughter sleeping form "Desideria is in what we call _Kathartikó ýpnou_, I think this can be translated in 'cathartic sleep'. It's a state of mind similar to the one you can reach only trough a deep meditation, it's quite a rare gift to own, but fairly common for nymphs as powerful as her. Anyway, Desideria allow herself to fall into this _Kathartikó ýpnou_ only when she's not able to deal with something. She did it only once before today, when she thought that Draco was dead." the nymph explained sitting down again "I wish I could explain better, but unfortunately is not something I experienced firsthand. I know only that when she reached this state of mind, it's quite difficult to come back and that's the reason why she does it so rarely. That time, when she thought that her baby was dead, she didn't mean to fall in this kind of sleep. It was an accident because her feelings were too strong and I was able to take her back only because I'm her mot…Wait a minute! You said you're her mate, didn't you?" the woman's face light up all of sudden

"Yes, ma'am. Soul mate, to be exact."

"That's it! That why she was blocking me!" the woman took his hand abruptly and placed it on his wife's head just like she did a few moments before "You're the one who had to take her back!"

"What?" the Potion Master tried to free his hand, but the old nymph merely tightened her grip "I can't…"

"Listen to me, young man. There's only one reason why she allowed herself to fall in this kind of sleep, and that's because she trust _you_ to take her back. Are you really going to disappoint her?"

"I don't know what to do." he protested weakly

"Just kept your hand above her head and wish to be with her." his mother-in-law said before releasing him "And take your time, it will be just a second for me."

* * *

Severus stood in what look like a big lawn. To whenever he looked, his eyes met only an endless region of emerald green, dotted here and there with colored flowers that he had never seen.

Just on the horizon, however, stood an old tree and curled up under his shadow, his wife sat in silence. He wishes to be near her and, as in a dream, he found himself just there.

"I knew you'd come." she said without turning around, but after that she shut herself into silence again

"Next time warn me before you fall in this…sleep. I didn't know what to do." he said sitting on the grass beside her.

He didn't know how long they sat there in silence, but he had to admit that that place was really refreshing. He didn't fell so relaxed in ages.

"It's a beautiful sight, isn't it?" his wife whispered after awhile, still without turning toward him

"Breathtaking." the Potion Master murmured in return sliding closer to her without meaning to

"Last time everything was so dark and sinister. There was a violent storm and when my mother arrived it became worse." she explained "Now, however, it's everything so calm and peaceful. I could stay here forever."

"Draco and Harry were really worried." he threw in casually

"I know and we'll be back soon. I just need time."

"Time for what?" he asked, but the nymph didn't replied. She merely stood up and held out a hand "Come with me. I'll show you something."

He rose and the instant later they were both in a forest. The moon was high in the sky, a silver globe just above the large blue lake which was surrounded by tall oaks. Desideria headed toward the lake and, hand still in hers, he followed her.

"That's the night of my initiation." she whisper, like she was afraid to disturb someone "It was the summer after my graduation, one year after I had Draco." she explained. In that precise instant, Severus heard someone approaching and after a minute he saw a younger version of his wife entered the clearing.

"Eighteen years old." the woman on his side kept explain "I was so full of sadness."

They were standing just a couple of feet away and the man could clearly see the sadness in those eyes, the dark circles under them. She was so different from the proud woman that he married, well less than 24 hours ago. Head bent and eyes fixed on the dark ground, she seemed to carry the weight of the world on her thin shoulders. Even her hands were moving with exasperating slowness…Wait a minute!

"She's getting undressed!" the Potion Master almost fell down trying to turn around as fast as possible while Desideria just chuckle

"Come on, Severus. I'm sure you have seen a naked woman before now, and it's just me." she said, the smile still stuck on her lips

"You're...She's eighteen!" he said refusing to turn around until he heard her saying

"She's in the water now. You can turn around, you old puritan." and he did just that adding a scowl for good measure.

Now, he didn't risk to see the nymph naked because she was immersed in water up to the waist and her long hair was covering most of her exposed skin, and even if she was giving them the back, Severus could tell that she had straighten her shoulders and looked more determinate and strong than before.

"I had made up my mind." Desideria said, answering the question he hadn't the chance to say aloud "You see, during the initiation ritual you could choose if you want to live with the humans or the other nymphs and I have decided to…"

"Stay here." he completed her sentence only to be corrected a second later by a bemused nymph

"Oh no, I choose to stay with the nymph but she didn't agree."

"She?" Severus asked confused and his wife just nod toward the lake where an old, but extremely beautiful woman had just appeared out of nowhere.

She was standing just in front of the young Desideria; her hair was so blonde to be almost invisible against her white dress.

"Desideria, my dear, I'm glad you are here." the woman greeted the young nymph "Have you decided in which world you want to live, darling."

"Yes, my Empress." the girl said bowing her head with respect

"Empress?" Severus whispered at his wife

"Uh-uh. She's still the Empress. Every century a young nymph is chosen to be our Empress and keep the peace on our people. Now hush, this is the best part." she silenced him

"I want to live with the nymphs, Empress." the girl said firmly

"Very well." the woman used a neutral tone, but looking closely Severus could see a bit of disappointment in her eyes "I can't force you in one direction rather that the other," she said "but I'll appreciate if you'll wait until the end of the ritual to make your final choose." the girl rose her head, probably ready to protest, but the other woman just raised a hand "I'm not asking you as Empress, but as concerned grandmother."

"Grandmother?" very well, now he knew how a parrot fell.

"She's my maternal grandmother. She met my grandfather a week before her initiation, that's why she chooses to stay here." she explained looking at the woman with adoration clear in her eyes "She went in the nymph's land when he died a couple of years ago. I haven't seen her since then." meanwhile, the nymph Empress kept talking

"As you know, you're going to have an induced vision and I hope you'll find the answer to your question, dear. Just remember that your position among us won't change no matter the world you'll choose."

Young Desideria nodded and slid into the water of the lake until she was completely immersed. The forest fell into silence and older Desideria took advantage of the moment to explain his husband the nature of that vision.

"During the initiation you'll allow to see your future, so that you can make the better choice between the worlds. I saw you." she said taking him by surprise "I didn't remember until this evening but I do now. I had the same vision I had in the corridor while I was coming in our quarters, that was what made me decide to stay in this land rather than going with the nymphs." Severus didn't have the opportunity to ask further explanation because in that precise moment the younger version of his wife appeared again in front of his eyes.

"I...Is that what going to happen?" the girl asked, voice full of wonder

"Yes, sweetheart. You're going to have a life full of love if you decide to give the world a second chance." the Empress smiled "And I hope with all my heart that you'll do just that." the older nymph extended her hand to caress her granddaughter face

"I'll stay her, Empress. I want to meet him."

"That's your Destiny, darling." the woman said before flicking her hand briefly in front of the girl head "I'm sorry that I have to deny you of this vision but these are the rules."

"The Empress had to erase the memory so that the nymph isn't influenced in her choice. When you'll fulfill your vision the memories will came back." his wife said while the memory disappeared "And that's my vision. Kept silent and I'll explain everything later." she added when they landed in the living room of their new quarters.

* * *

Severus found himself face to face with…himself. His other self sat on the couch reading the _Weekly Potions_, just like he did every Saturday, until two agitated voices, that he knew very well, interrupted that moment of peace.

"Just admit it, Harry!" Draco said entering the room and sitting on the couch near him

"I'm not going to do anything of the sort!" Harry yelled sitting on the opposite couch and crossing his arms, a pout adorning his teenagers face.

"But it's the true!"

"It's not!"

"It is!"

"It's not!"

"It…" luckily the Potion Master of the vision interrupted them

"What are you arguing about, boys?" the blond boy turned to him with an evil smirk

"Harry's in love!"

"I'm not!" the other boy shouted throwing a cushion at his brother who just captured it and launched it back

"You are!"

"Boys!" this time it was Desideria who interrupted the arguments "You're thirteen not three."

Severus Snape wasn't surprise about his wife presence, but the one-year-old girl that she had in her arms took him by surprise, especially when the other Severus, the one in the vision, stood from the couch and approached the woman taking the child in _his own_ arms.

"Daddy!"

"Here's my little princess!" he said before giving his wife a quick peck on the lips making their teenagers sons groan. "How was your day?"

"Fine, until we met a certain girl in Hogsmeade and Draco start teasing his brother about it." she sighed

"Not my fault if he forgot how to talk!" the blond boy defended himself "He blushed and start stammering!" and before the discussion started again, the Potion Master winked at his other son saying

"Don't worry, Harry. You'll have the opportunity to tease him about the same thing as soon as _he_ meet his 'special girl'." and the comment made both of them shut up for good.

The Potion Master sat on the couch again playing (PLAYIN!) with the little girl who was giggling madly on his lap

"Where are the kids?" Desideria asked sitting down

"Albus bring them to Hagrid's. They should be here at any moment." he answered while the real Severus turned toward his wife

"What other kids? If the boys are just thirteen we can't have _any_ kid old enough to be taken to Hagrid by Albus!" he said only to be silenced by her a moment before two little boys, who looked strangely familiar, entered the now crowed living room

"Mum!" a boy around six years old ran directly on Desideria's lap while another one, that had to be at least four or five years older launched on the couch between Draco and Harry

"Did you have fun?" the Potion Master asked him

"That was the best afternoon ever, Dad!" he replied with a big smile.

Even that vision disappeared and the couple landed on the big lawn in which Severus arrived before.

* * *

"What was that?" he asked as soon as he found his voice again

"I don't know!" his wife replied smiling madly "But it was wonderful!"

"Wonderful?" that vision was enough to let him recognize those two kids and hearing them call him (him!) 'Dad' was shocking in the least. "Do you know who those two kids are?" he asked

"Of course not! I know we're going to adopt them 'cause they're too old to be ours, but other than that."

Severus Snape took a deep breath. He was there to take his wife back, everything else had to wait. He could always talk to Albus and told her later. Yes, that was a perfect plan.

"We need to go back." he said putting the memory of that vision in the farther corner of his mind "The boys are waiting and _I_ need a good night's sleep to digest this little vision of yours." he said, but seeing his wife's eyes become sad in an instant he put his hands on her shoulders and added "I'm happy to know that I'm going to have a real, happy family, Desideria. I need only time to get used to the idea."

"That's all? You just need time?" she asked uncertainly

"Of course." he reassured her. He was really getting attached to that woman and it upset him to see that hurt expression on her face

"I was so pleased to see us so happy together." she said looking him the eyes "I really care about you, Severus." she said taking him, again, by surprise "Those dreams help me realize that you're really a good man." she whispered placing her hands on his chest "And I can't explain what I feel for you, Sev. I just want to tell you that I can't image a man better than you and I'm glad that you accepted to be my husband." she said before giving him a gentle kiss on the lips.

When he opened his eyes again they were in the infirmary. He was standing near the bed where his wife was lying, smiling gently at him.

"Desy, darling!" he almost forgot about his mother-in-law presence, she was beside them in a blink

"Mama! What are you doing here?"

"Your grandmother told me that you need my help and I ran here." the woman said caressing his daughter's forehead with love before her eyes darkened "And now that you're fine again I want to know why you hadn't invited me at _your wedding_!"

Wisely, Severus let the two women alone and headed to his quarters.


	14. Chapter 14

A/N I finally found a Beta! I'm sure you'll note the difference! ;) So a BIG thank you to twilight1987!

CHAPTER 14- FAMILY TIME

Severus was tired. He had had a really long night. He had just discovered that he was going to have five kids! And he already knew those two little boys; the only problem was that they were adults right now. How could that be, then? He needed to talk with Albus first thing in the morning. He entered his quarters and found the headmaster waiting for him in his living room, calming sipping a cup of tea with his eyes fixed on the fire.

"What are you doing here, Headmaster?" Severus Snape asked sitting beside him while conjuring a glass of firewhisky; but the older wizard, instead of answering, just raised an eyebrow in a perfect imitation of the potion master and said

"We're alone, my boy, you can use more informal titles."

"You're right, Albus." The younger man said leaning against the back of the couch "It was really a tiring day."

The older man helped him became a spy for the light a few months after his grandfather made him take the Dark Mark, with time Albus became his confident and the only person who could truly understand him.

"She's different." the potion master murmured while the other man listened in silence "I was almost resigned to live alone. I tried to date more than once, but they all were so…they lacked something, but Desideria…there's something in her eyes that I can't decipher. She's the first person who has not recoiled at my sarcasm. She just answers me back! Can you believe that I met her just a month ago? Sometimes…sometimes I could almost feel…affection for her, you know?"

The headmaster couldn't suppress a smile at that. Severus _never_ said aloud that he cared about someone; he thought that it was just a sign of weakness of something like that.

"It's the first time that I enjoy bickering with someone. The boys on the other hand. They're different." The teacher kept saying gulping down the rest of his firewhisky "They're going to be trouble and we both know it. They're as different as night and day! Draco is used to be treated like a prince while Harry lived like a bloody house-elf!" he said fixing the flames for a moment before saying "They need a father. A real one and I have no experience whatsoever. I can't do it! They're too needy and I don't have time for that. They need love not only discipline and I can't provide it. They will fight like cats and dogs and they will look for troubles. They're too much. How can I give them reassurance if they think that they're just nuisances? How can I make them believe that they're not? They're my sons!" he felt against the cushions, tired like never before

"I will ruin them just like my father did me." he murmured at the end, but Albus wasn't impressed by his little speech.

He knew that Severus needed to vent his frustration just like he needed the Headmaster to reassure him with his unfailing support.

"Have you quite finished now?" he asked using his mentor-voice and the young potion master unconsciously replied at the tone

"Yes, sir."

"You know very well what you can do and you will do it." He stated in his best nonsense voice

"Yes, sir." Severus replied, tiredness clear in his tone

"And I think we already went over the speech about you _not_ being like your father, didn't we?" the headmaster let a bit of steel appear in his voice and the potion master had the decency to blush

"I know you and you're a man with a soft heart. You'll do a great job with those boys. I have faith in you." Albus said putting a comforting hand on his knee. As soon as he digested all the words, Severus turned toward the older man

"What are you doing here at this hour, anyway?" he asked after a bit

"I came to see how the boys were doing and I found both of them soundly asleep. Draco's in your bed while Harry was on this couch, but I levitated him in there too."

"You mean that they're _both_ sleeping in the same bed?" the potion master asked surprised

"Of course. It was the only bed ready and it's quite late to call the elves. I think you need to buy some furniture soon because they can't sleep in your bed every time they stay here." The headmaster's eyes were twinkling again

"Obviously, old man." Severus sneered. "I was just waiting until next weekend because I've got to buy some clothes for Harry, too." he explained relaxing against the couch

"Why don't you do it tomorrow?"

"Harry has lessons, Albus. There's school in case you forgot, old coot." He acidly reminded the older man without opening his eyes

"I'm not senile, boy." The headmaster reprimanded softly with a light tap on the man's leg, one that didn't even make him move. "I was merely saying that, seeing that you'll have a free week, you can do it tomorrow."

"A free week?" Severus opened his right eye and tried to glare at him from his position, but it didn't seem to work because Albus didn't look impressed in the least. Not that he usually was, anyway.

"Of course, my boy. You four need time to get to know each other and to get used to being a family. You can stay here or, and I think that's the best idea, you can go in Italy and get to know your wife's family. Her mother surely seemed an interesting person."

"I could use some rest." Was Severus' neutral answer

"Wonderful!" the older man clapped his hands once "And talking about interesting things. Do you know who I met the other day?" but that was, apparently, a story for another day because the only reply was the potion master's soft snore.

"Goodnight, my boy." Albus murmured caressing the younger man's head lightly, a gesture of affection that he could do rarely and usually only when the other wizard was sleeping like now. He transfigured his now empty cup to a warm blanket and spread it over the other man's legs before leaving the quarters.

Harry has always been a light sleeper, so it wasn't unusual for him to wake in the middle of the night after hearing strange noises. He had refined that skill living with the Dursley's all those years. Most of the time it saved his hide and gave him his only opportunity to have at least one meal during the day.

The young boy sat upright trying to realize where he was. He remembered falling asleep on the couch in Snape's quarters, but this was without a doubt a bed. A large bed. A soft snoring informed him that he wasn't alone. A blond head was peering from under the satin sheets.

Draco!

What was he doing in bed with him? And how did he arrive here?

Moving his hand at his side, he found his glasses on the bedside table and got out of bed. He left the room with the intention of going back in his dorm, but Snape's deep voice caught his attention and he stopped on the stairs

"They're going to be trouble and we both know it." He was complaining about him with someone! Harry got closer and even if he could hear a word every now and then, it was enough to understand the meaning of the talk. "I can't do it! They're too needy and I don't have time for that!" he seemed angry, but the little Gryffindor was to shocked to notice "They will fight like cats and dogs and looking for troubles! They're too much!" Harry felt tears forming in his eyes "They're just nuisances…not my sons."

He ran in one of the bedrooms, trying to stifle the sobs. He _knew_ that it was too good to be real! Snape didn't want him and Ron was right.

He sat on the bare bed crying. After eleven years with the Dursley's he should know better than that. He knew that adults didn't have time to look after needy boys, but that afternoon Snape was so convincing.

Harry felt stupid. He knew better than to trust an adult. All those talks about having his own room in the quarters, him being part of the family…it was all an act!

He had trusted Snape. Liar! Snape was a liar and he had to pay for what he did. He'd be damned if he hadn't learn a couple of tricks from his cousin in all that years. And with that though in his mind, Harry felt asleep again.

"How could you forget to invite me!" Josephine Naiade was still yelling. It was almost half an hour now, Desideria just sat on the infirmary bed and let her mother vent her anger.

"Your own mother! I taught you better than that, young lady." She was even agitating her finger under her daughter's nose "I'm so…so…I don't have words for what you did!"

"I'm sorry, Mama."

"Don't apologize! I want to know why you did it in the first place!" and finally the older woman stopped in front of her daughter, eyes flashing with rage and a fist firmly planted on her hips

"I know you think it is unforgivable for my part, but I had my reasons." And before her mother could protest, the nymph took a deep breath and added "I needed to marry in haste, Mama. Lucius is threatening me. He said that he could have Draco back if he…if he kills my fam-family." Desideria had trouble restraining the tears now that she was with her mother. Until that moment she had to be strong for her boys, she couldn't explain everything to Severus during the ceremony and, anyway, she was scared that he could do something stupid. "I'm sca-scared, Mama. Michael found me a couple of weeks ago. What…what if he tries to take Draco with him? I can't protect him all the time and Harry…They killed his parents when he was just one year old and he lived with those…with those monsters! And Lucius is one of them! He's capable of to killing his only daughter if that means gaining more power! I don't know what to do, Mama. I just tried to keep you away and s-safe from all of this." She was sobbing now, hard enough that she wasn't able to continue to talk but a mother doesn't need it.

Josephine approached her daughter, every sign of her anger gone; she just hugged the young woman tight, murmuring comforting words in her ears

"You don't need to protect me, you silly thing. I'm the mother. Would you stop protecting your sons just because they're taller than you?" she waited to feel her daughter's head shake against her chest before continuing in the same soft tone "Lucius can't do anything against me; I will kill him before that bastard even attempts to harm my family. You're not alone. Mama's here. Hush now. I'm here. Everything ok, now."

She rocked her daughter to sleep like when she was a little girl and laid down near her.

The sound of footsteps on the stairs woke Severus up, opening his eyes he saw Harry already wearing his uniform that was heading toward the door

"Where are you going?" he asked moving his neck back and forth trying to reduce the stiffness.

Apparently, the boy knew that he was on the couch because he wasn't surprise to hear his voice, without stopping he just said

"In the Great Hall for breakfast, sir." He had already the hand on the handle of the door when Severus replied

"There's no need for that, Harry. We'll have breakfast here…"

"I prefer to go in the Great Hall." the little Gryffindor interrupted, turning toward him slightly with a strange light in his green eyes

"We have to talk about a lot of things." The potion master stated, his voice growing stern in response at the boy attitude

"I have nothing to say." Harry said crossing his arms

"Then you'll be listening." The adult said forcing himself to not imitate the little boy's posture, and before the green eyed boy could reply Draco appeared from behind his godfather

"Uncle Sev!" he exclaimed "How's mum?" little did he know that his simple question only served to feed the other boy's rage.

Harry was more determined than ever to leave those quarters and meet his _loyal_ friends. He hadn't forgotten last night's events or the way Severus talked about them. For a moment he thought that maybe he should warn Draco about his godfather's true feeling about the adoption, but he decided against him as soon as he remember the way that slimy little Slytherin fake indignation hearing Harry's story the other day.

"I'm out of here." He said opening the door but an unexpected breeze closed it on him

"You're not going anywhere but the kitchen, young man." After only four hours of sleep, the potion master was rapidly losing his patience at the boy's stubbornness, especially because he had no reason to behave that way. "You too." he added turning toward Draco "We're having breakfast here."

The blonde boy obeyed looking at his adopted brother warily while Harry, after trying to open the door twice without success, followed them stomping his feet.

The headmaster had probably advised the house elves of their plans for the weeks, because the kitchen table was already settling for their breakfast.

Draco filled his plate with buttered toast and bacon, a glass of pumpkin juice was already at his side, Severus was pouring his usual coffee in the cup when he noted that Harry was sitting arms crossed, his plate and glass empty.

"Eat, Harry." He said, but the boy didn't even move a muscle

"I'm losing my patience, boy. Eat your breakfast."

"I'm not hungry." Harry said without raising his eyes from the table

"I don't care. You're underweight and you'll eat everything I put in this plate." And the potion master proceeds to fill the boy's plate with two slices of bacon, buttered toast and some fruits "Eat." He ordered before taking his own fork.

But Harry had no intention of obeying. He had played that game since he was four, as soon as he was going to eat Severus would slap him or make the food disappear saying that the little freak didn't deserve to eat with normal people. Oh, if he thinks that Harry would fall for it he was sorely mistaken.

Far from the thoughts that was going through his son's mind, Severus just glared at him again

"Eat, Harry. You won't get up from this table until that plate is empty, young man."

As soon as Madama Pomfrey released her, Desideria went to her quarters with her mother hot on her heels.

She greeted the founders who informed her about the little argument that was taking place in her quarters before letting her in.

"Mum!" Draco literally flew in her arms

"Hi honey." She happily hugged him "Not to complain, but why are you still here? Don't you have lessons?" and even if her question seemed directed to her son, she was looking at Severus and he was the one who replied

"Albus gave us a free week. No work for us and no lessons for the boys until Sunday night." He explained standing up before greeting his mother-in-law

"Mrs. Naiade, I'm happy to see you again." Hearing the name, the little Slytherin's ears perked up

"She's your mum?" he asked his own mother who smiled down at him nodding

"You're my grandma!" Draco seemed enthusiastic and ran in the old nymph's outstretched arms starting to talk no-stop under her amused look.

Desideria took advantage of that moment to approach her other son who had yet to move from his seat

"Everything ok, Harry?" she asked sitting near him, but the little Gryffindor didn't answer, his eyes glued on the two people standing in front of him

"Why don't you go meet your grandmother?" the boy's eyes fell on the table

"I never had a grandmother." He murmured

"You have one now. You're part of the family, remember?" and the nymph didn't understand why the boy suddenly stood and run upstairs

"Don't mind him. He must have awakened on the wrong foot." She was so shocked that she hadn't heard Severus coming begin her until he spoke "How are you?"

"Better, thank you." She said turning toward her mother who was laughing with her son "What happened with Harry?"

"I don't know. He has had an attitude from the moment he woke up." He said and when she tried to stand from the chair he just put a hand on her shoulder "I will talk with him later."

"Mum!" her blond son ran to her with a big smile on his face "Mum! Grandma said we can go visit her in Italy whenever we want to. When are we going?"

"I don't know, honey. Probably during Christmas break…" at that point, Severus coughed lightly until the two women turned to him

"Actually, Desideria." He said "The headmaster suggested that we go to Italy for the week, if it's not a problem for you, madam…"

"Of course not!" the older nymph exclaimed happily "That's a wonderful idea!" she said embracing her daughter "We miss Desy and the family will be happy to get to know you!"

"If you're sure, madam." The potion master said "I know that it is not polite to ask you with such a short notice…" he started only to be interrupted again

"Don't worry, my boy. You're family so you are _always_ welcome in our home and please, just call me Josephine." She said looking at him "Just pack your things so we can go."

"Right now?" Severus asked surprised "We can't leave immediately, mad…Josephine." He corrected himself "We have some shopping to do first."

"What should we buy?" Desideria asked surprised

"Clothes for Harry." He replied through clenched teeth hoping that his wife would understand

"Oh." And she did. She knew that those muggles had denied him the simple rights, even having his own clothes. Bastards. "There's a big wizard mall near our house." She said "There are both muggles and wizards shops and, if I remember right, there should be even a store for the furniture. We can go there." She finished with a smile and when Severus nodded his consents she turned to her mother

"Give us time to pack, Mama." She said "We'll be there for lunch."

"Uncle Sev!" it was the third time in less than ten minutes that Draco called his godfather name. His grandmother flooed home almost four hours ago and he hadn't stopped talking about Italy since then.

Severus looked at his reflection one more time. He wasn't going to admit it to anyone but he felt nervous…like a teenager…at the thought of meeting his wife's family. While they were packing, Draco had the brilliant idea to ask her about her life in Italy and, obviously, she was glad to oblige.

Her mother had married a wizard named Anthony when she was around four years old and now she had two younger brothers, Matt and David who was respectively twenty-two and twenty years old. She then spent almost ten minutes listing her uncles, aunts, and cousins names. Her mother had one brother and five sisters, each one of them had approximately two or three children and most of them had at least one grandchild. They were endless, and he was going to meet all of them within the next five days. He sighed, thinking about his wife.

It was evident, by looking at her big smile that had yet to leave her lips and the twinkling in those chocolate eyes that would have made Albus proud, that she was beyond happy.

The thought of going back to her family, even if only for a week, was enough to make her as excited as a child at Christmas, her usually unnoticeable accent became tighter and she kept running from one son to the other to help them pack their things.

"Uncle Sev!" Four.

"I'm coming, Draco. No need to shout like that." the potion master said coming out from the downstairs bathroom.

Draco was standing near the Floo in the living room dressed in muggle clothes that his wife transfigured from one of his robes, Harry was just sitting on one of the couch sulking. He had tried to talk with the boy that morning, he had told Harry about their little holiday in Italy and the boy had just shrugged and asked him if he could stay in the castle.

Severus had never been a patient man, so after the third time that the boy answered him with attitude coming out from every word, he told him to stay in the room until it was time to leave.

"Where's your mother?" he asked at Draco ignoring Harry's glare

"I'm here." The nymph appeared from behind him "You have everything?" she asked and at their nods, Desideria moved toward the Floo

"I think it is better if each boy travels with one of us." She said to Severus "International Floos are quite tiring and I don't want to lose them in another country."

"I'll go with mum!" Draco yelled immediately while running to her

"Are you ok with this, Harry?" she asked gently and the dark haired boy shrugged. Again.

"Just go, Desideria. We'll be right after you." Severus said with a note of finality in his voice.

Desideria shrank their trunks and put them in her pockets, she then grabbed a fist of Floo powder and embraced her son yelling:

"Villa Esposito, Naples, Italy." And they disappeared between green flames.

Severus grabbed a fist of powered but before throwing it in the flames he took the boy by his arm

"I don't know what's gotten in to you today, boy." He said leveling him with a firm look "We're going to met Desideria's family and I expect you to be at your best behavior. She deserves it." And with that he took the boy against his chest and repeated his wife words.

They were finally in Italy.


	15. Chapter 15

A/N here's the new chapter...I hope you enjoy it! =)

CHAPTER 15- ITALIAN HOLIDAY

"Welcome! Welcome!" Josephine was standing a couple of feet from the Floo, greeting them while embracing her grandson, and Desideria was standing near a tall man that Severus supposed was her step-father.

He was a tall man, quite well built in spite of being almost fifty years old and was dressed in expensive and finely cut muggle clothing. He was totally bald except for a halo of dark grey hair around his head, his blue eyes as penetrating as Albus Dumbledore's himself.

"You must be Severus!" the man said approaching the new arrivals "I'm so happy to finally meet you." Severus' hand was then trapped in a firm handshake, "I'm Antony Esposito, Desideria's father, but please call me Tony." he smiled turning toward Harry who was silently standing behind the potion master's legs

"And you must be Harry, then. Let me hug you, boy." and without waiting for said boy answer, the old man enveloped him a big bear hug.

"I'm so glad you're here!" Josephine exclaimed from the other end of the room "Come! Come!" she said motioning them to follow and while his mother-in-law kept talking about…well, about everything, Severus admired the paintings that were adorning the long corridor they were crossing.

"They're beautiful, aren't they?" Tony asked walking near him while the women and the kids kept walking a couple of feet before them

"They are." The potion master replied stopping in front of one of the paintings "Are they all painted by the same artist?" he asked admiring it. In each one was painted a different landscape, even though most of them depicting a seascape and the one before which he stopped, in particular, was shown a beautiful stormy sea; the dark sky; the waters in turmoil. Everything was so real that he could almost feel the waves splashing on his face.

"They are and you know the artist." The older man replied making Severus turn toward him

"I know the artist?" he echoed

"Of course you do, young man, you're married to her." His father-in-law said clearly amused

"You mean that Desideria painted them?" that was a surprise. His wife was a painter and an excellent one if those paintings were anything to go by

"Oh, yes." The older man chuckled "She always liked to paint and these are only a few of her masterpieces." And then he signaled Severus to follow him into the living room

"Severus." the young nymph turned toward him as soon as he entered the room "Mama said that we can have my old room and the boys will share the nearest one." And if Harry's grimace was anything to go by, that shared room was going to be a problem; but, he couldn't disappoint his mother-in-law in her own house.

"Thank you, Josephine. May we go unpack before lunch, please?" he asked in his most polite voice

"Oh, of course! You have almost one hour before my boys arrive. We'll have lunch then." The old nymph exclaimed standing up "Show your husband your room, Desy." She ordered her daughter "I'll take care of your boys and came call you when lunch is ready."

* * *

He wasn't angry. No, angry was a euphemism to describe how much _furious_ he was. Not only had he had to follow his so called family to Italy instead of staying with his friends in Hogwarts, but Severus forgot that he needed clothes.

Now Harry had to wear Draco's robes, and that was even worse than having Dudley hand-me-downs because at the Dursleys he could pretend that those clothes were his own while now they were just borrowed.

Josephine, who insisted being called 'grandma' by him too, said that he had to share the room with Draco because _'it will give you a chance to know each other better'_. At least at the Dursley's he didn't have to share his cupboard with Dudley!

And Snape had the nerve to scold him even if he had all the reasons to be angry with them!

Revenge was going to be _so_ sweet! Harry thought re-entering his room; he lay down thinking about the last few hours.

All in all, Desideria's family wasn't so bad. While Desideria was unpacking their trunk, 'grandpa' Tony managed to distract Severus talking about potions while 'grandma' Josephine stuffed them up with sweets just before lunch; thus, when Matt and David, Desideria's brothers, arrived, Draco and Harry were so full that they barely managed to eat anything else.

Matt and David were plain great. While the four adults talked about boring things, the two men told them about all the pranks they did at their own school making the two boys laugh till they had tears in their eyes.

After lunch the two eleven years old were sent to bed to take a nap because, in their grandmother's opinion, 'international Floo travel was so tiring' (they obeyed immediately because, sincerely, who had the heart to disappoint the woman that had just stuffed you up with sweets?) and when Draco fell asleep two minutes later, Harry managed to sneak out. And, taking advantage of the fact that the others were downstairs, he entered Desideria and Severus' room to start his revenge plan.

This time he fell asleep with a satisfied smile.

* * *

It wasn't so bad. That was what Severus thought after having spent a whole afternoon with his wife's family.

He talked with Tony while controlling out of the corner of his eyes how many sweets his sons managed to eat. His father-in-law was quite a bright man, he was not only interested in Severus' work, but he gave him some good ideas too. At lunch time, he met his wife's brothers and then he almost believed to be in a nightmare.

The Italian version of the Weasley twins!

They were almost identical, even if Matt was two years older than his brother, both with golden hair with an accent of red every now and then and sparkling green eyes.

His in-laws kept him busy in conversation so he didn't have the chance to hear what they were saying to his sons, but he was sure it was nothing good judging by the way those two almost fell from their chairs from laughing so hard.

Surprisingly, when Josephine sent the boys upstairs to take a nap, neither of them protested. The old nymph suggested then that he and Desideria take a walk so that her daughter could show him around the propriety and his brothers-in-law were just behind them.

Following his wife, Severus had the possibility to really appreciate the Italian villa that his in-laws owned.

While the back of the big two story house was protected by an endless expanse of pines, in the front there was a huge garden crossed by a slim stone path and tall hedges encircled it effectively insuring the owners' privacy.

After they had teased their sister mercilessly, Matt and David started behaving like real adults and Severus discovered that the younger one was studying for his Mastery in Potions because he wanted to be a teacher, while Matt was the owner of an apothecary. That said, no one was surprised when the small group entered the house two hours later still talking about the difference between English and Italian potion ingredients.

"There you are!" Josephine greeted them from the living room "Why don't you go upstairs and put on something more casual?" she said smiling at them "I promised the boys a horseback ride."

"You have horses?" Severus asked surprised

"Of course. The stables are just near the forest and we have enough horses for everyone. Now scoot, kids!" the older nymph was clearly in a good mood. She urged the four adults up the stairs and passing in front of the kitchen, they had a glimpse of the two boys happily filling a wicker picnic basket with sandwiches while Tony was making some coffee.

"Did your mother just call me 'kid'?" Severus asked his wife scowling

"I think she did, yes!" the nymph replied happily, her eyes twinkling madly while she grabbed a pair of blue jeans and a comfortable sandy shirt and start changing her clothes.

"Wha-What are you doing?" he asked just managing not to squeak like girl

"I'm changing, Sev, what else?" she replied taking off her dress reveling a perfect, slim body covered just by black lace lingerie.

The potion master turned to the wardrobe rummaging furiously between his muggle clothes without really seeing them. How could she be so…shameless? He listened to the soft noises that she made dressing and turned back only when he was sure that she was fully clothed.

"Oh, Sev!" she said with a mischievous smile "Don't tell me you're shy."

"I'm not shy, woman!" he almost yelled and, just to prove his point he start unbuttoning his robe, "You just took me by surprise." he said while draping the cloth on the nearest chair, he consciously slowed his movements hoping that Desideria had decided to leave the room, but apparently his wife had other planes.

"I'm sure you've seen a naked woman before and I refuse to go the bathroom to change my clothes for the rest of my life." She said sitting on the bed and putting on her shoes

"I think my mother officially adopt you in the family, Sev." She started saying only to be interrupted by a shirtless potion master

"When did I give you permission to call me 'Sev'?" he asked raising an eyebrow trying to hide the pleasure he felt to be part of a family again

"You said that family calls you that and whose _family_ more than your own wife?" she replied looking at him with a smile "Anyway," she continued ignoring his fierce scowl "I think the boys are enjoying themselves, don't you?"

"They seems to get along with your brothers quite well." he said distractedly while fastening the belt and reaching for the sneakers

"You bet!" she chuckled "They were really two little hellions during school! They better not have told our boys about their pranks or…"

"I think it's too late for that." Severus replied tersely and Desideria turned to him just in time to see his husband taking off his left shoe revealing a…toothpaste covered sock?

"What…" she started "You think one the boys did it?" she asked looking in his angry black eyes

"And I know exactly which one." After aiming a _Scorgiufy_ at the shoes, the potions master was ready to go downstairs and make the little culprit pay, but a hand on his arm stopped him

"You can't be sure, Severus. Perhaps…perhaps it was just a stupid welcome-in-the-family joke from my brothers' part." She tried to reason "I told you they love to prank people while neither of our children shows this kind of…inclination."

"Your brothers were with us until now, Desideria." He said between clenched teeth "And while I agree with you that Draco isn't the prank type, Harry's father was the biggest prankster who ever entered Hogwarts."

"Why should he do something like that?" she asked again and Severus forced himself to take deep breath.

"I don't know. What I know for sure is that Harry has been giving me constant attitude since he woke up this morning and I'm not going to tolerate being pranked by my own son." They kept staring in each other eyes for a while until Desideria broke the silence

"I'll talk with him." She said releasing his arm and, seeing that her husband was ready to protest, she raised her hand and added "You're just too angry to deal with him right now. I'll give him a warning about this kind of behavior and try to find out why he did it." She said leaving the room.

Desideria entered the kitchen with Severus right behind her, and while her mother happily guided the family toward the stables, the nymph called her dark haired son over.

* * *

"Harry, came here a second." His adoptive mother called him and the little Gryffindor obeyed without question.

He was furious with Snape for lying to him and with Draco for being…well, for being Draco; but, he couldn't be angry with her.

He liked the smiling nymph and couldn't blame her for being married to the greasy git.

"Yes?" he asked still unsure how to call her

"I'm going to ask you something and I want you to answer truthfully." She said as soon as he was standing in front of her "Harry, did you put toothpaste in Severus' shoes?"

The dark hair boy thrown a glance at Snape and noted for the first time that he was wearing the shoes he had…taken care of before. He frowned. If Snape knew about the toothpaste why was he calmly walking toward the stables instead of yelling at him?

When he set up the prank, Harry felt sure of his potion professor's reaction. He just knew Snape would find him and start yelling, even smack him, and Harry already thought about running to his new grandmother and complaining to her about the unfairness of it all so that she would yell at Snape!

"I'm waiting for an answer, young man." Desideria said, effectively bringing him back to the present.

After glancing at her disappointed eyes, Harry almost felt guilty.

Almost.

As soon as he remembered _why_ he did the prank in the first place he was angry again. Snape lied to him!

He promised Harry that he was going to buy some new clothes just for him, but he made the boy wear Draco's instead! And, now, he had sent Desideria to scold him and Harry _hated_ to make her angry with him. Feeling the rage rising in his chest again, he crossed his arms and said with as much attitude as he could muster,

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't lie to me, Harry." The nymph said knowing that her son was lying, "We both know you're the one..."

"You can't know that!" the little boy yelled "Draco could have done it!"

"Mind your tone, young man." Desideria said firmly "You're the one angry at Severus, Merlin only knows why." She continued looking at him strictly, "This behavior of yours had better stop pretty quickly because I won't tolerate it a second more. Do you understand me?"

But, instead of answering, Harry just kept staring at her mutinously.

"I said, do you understand me?" she repeated adding a bit of steel in her voice.

Seeing that her wayward son wasn't going to answer anytime soon, the nymph took his left arm and turning him on the side she smacked him twice.

"I'm dead serious, young man. Drop the attitude or you'll spend the rest of this week in your room, are we clear?" and this time the boy nodded while rubbing his backside with his free hand.

"You'll apologize to Severus as soon as we reach the others." She ordered taking the boy's hand "And then we can forget this incident and move on, yes?"

Harry allowed the nymph to drag him to the stables while privately thinking about all the way he could make Snape pay for turning his adoptive mother against him.

* * *

Apparently, Desideria's warning had taken effect because Harry was behaving in an exemplary way.

He and Draco learned to ride quite easily, so the little family managed to enjoy the sunny afternoon.

They stopped in a beautiful clear surrounded by tall, flowering trees

"Go play football, boys!" Josephine ordered as she dismounted, a colorful ball appeared in her hands and she tossed it away.

Her technically grew up sons, run immediately after it followed by their two happy nephews and while the children played, Desideria helped her mother with the picnic basket.

Five minutes later a checkered blanket was spread on the grass and Josephine pulled out several types of beverage, plastic cups and a big chocolate cake.

"Boys!" the older nymphs yelled toward the four shapes moving across the clear "Snack time!"

"Did you make it, mama?" Desideria asked, kneeling on the blanket near her mother.

"Of course, dear." The woman replied looking slightly offended "Do you think I would let my grandchildren eat that junk you buy at the supermarket?"

"Of course not, mama!" her daughter hastened to reassure "I was just wondering when you found the time to make it between your visit in Scotland and our arrival."

Before the woman could answer, the four footballs played arrived running.

"Chocolate cake!" Draco yelled happily sitting on the blanket near his mother.

"It is mama's specialty." Matt said kissing his mother cheek while his brother tried to steal a slice of cake without being noticed but, apparently, Josephine was used to her sons antics because she immediately slapped her youngest child's hand.

"Don't you dare, boy!" she yelled even if the happy twinkle in her eyes showed how much she was enjoying the light bantering "The first slice is for Sev." She said unexpectedly turning toward her son-in-law who was now the only one standing.

"Sit, Severus." Tony said from beside his wife and the potion master obeyed gingerly.

They spent the rest of the afternoon chatting about this and that while, as soon as they finished their _third_ slide of cake, the boys went back to play football.

It was almost time to go home when, suddenly, screams coming from the vicinity of the horses attracted the adults' attention. They turned around in time to see Matt and David trying to separate two fighting little boys. Without waiting a second more, Severus stood up and reached them.

"What's happening here?" Severus' thundering voice effectively stopping the fight

"I don't know." Matt said looking at his brother-in-law "David and I were trying to retrieve the ball that was caught in the braches." the young man explained nodding toward the now abandoned ball

"One minute they were under that tree with us and a minute later they were near the horses trying to beat each other senseless." the other young man shrugged apologetically at the other three adults who had just arrived.

"I'm waiting for an answer, gentlemen. What happened here?" the potion master repeated raising his infamous eyebrow.

"It's his entire fault, Uncle Sev!" Draco yelled from between his older uncle's arms that still trapped him "He was trying to…" but the blonde boy tirade was interrupted by Harry's own outburst

"Shut up, you stupid tattle-tales!" the gryffindor yelled struggling against David's firm grip.

"You shut up, moron!" the other boy shouted back.

"Quiet! Both of you!" Severus stopped them before they could re-start the fight, he then turned toward his fair headed son who seemed the one who wanted to talk more, "Draco, tell me what happened." He ordered careful to keep his voice low and firm

"Potter kicked the ball on the tree on purpose." the little slytherin started his explanation "When Uncle Matt and Uncle David went there to retrieve the ball I saw him come here. When I arrived he was trying to unfasten the saddle of your horse."

They all turned towards Harry at once. The boy didn't look sorry in the least; he managed to free himself from the young man's grip and was now standing in front of the adults with his hands in fists and the most rebellious expression you could find on a eleven-years-olds face. Surprisingly, it wasn't Severus but Desideria who burst up first

"Harold James Snape!" she yelled, disappointment wrote in her frowning face "What did you think you were doing, young man?" but the first year didn't answer, he just kept staring at Severus with his green eyes flashing with anger.

"Your mother asked you a question." The potion master pointed out, meeting the boy's eyes with firmness, but instead of answering his mother's question, the boy muttered something meaningless on the line of

"I won't talk with a liar like you."

Severus endured the boy's stubbornness for a good five minutes before making a sudden decision; he turned toward the other adults with an apologetic smile,

"I am sorry for this incident. If you will excuse us, it seems that my son and I have some things to discuss." that said he took his dark haired son by the scruff of his neck and marched him toward a group of fallen trees.

Severus made Harry sit on a fallen log and surveyed him for a couple of minutes.

He really didn't understand what happened. He thought that Harry had accepted being part of a family, of _his_ family, but apparently he was wrong. The boy kept giving him attitude and disobeyed practically all the rules they talked about. And yet, he was fine yesterday evening. They even talked about the way those Dursleys treated him and he had assured the boy that he was going to buy him clothes and ev…

Wait a minute.

"Did you call me 'liar' before, Harry?" the potion master asked while his brain tried to link all of the information

"You are." was the little Gryffindor angry reply, he was sitting rigidly on the log, arms crossed and eyes fixed on something on the horizon.

"Why?" he asked again, but this time the boy didn't answer, he just kept looking away; but, the sudden tightening of his jaw gave him away.

"Harry, were you talking about the fact that I have yet to buy you clothes like I said?" Severus asked, his voice stern, trying to obtain an honest answer and, luckily, he succeeded, even if the answer wasn't given in the calmest and most understandable way possible.

"Of course I am, you slimy git! You're just a liar and I'm a stupid 'cause I really trusted you!" the boy jumped up from the log and started yelling, waving his arms like crazy, in an attempt to vent some of the anger that, obviously, consumed him for some time. Only, and only because he knew that the boy needed to let those things out of his system, Severus decided to _momentarily_ ignore the language.

"I heard you! You said that we're just nuisances and too much trouble!" the boy continued shouting, the tears shined in his eyes but the Gryffindor ignored them "I hate you! You lied to me! Bastard!" he stopped the little tirade suddenly because he was sobbing too hard to talk and that gave Severus the chance to explain.

"I think that's a good lesson about the effects of eavesdropping, young man." he said firmly without taking his eyes out his son "You heard only half of the conversation between the Headmaster and me. And about that…" the potion master sat on the log that his son had just vacated and sighed.

He didn't like it, but he knew that, to make Harry understand for real, he had to share something. He sighed again before raising his eyes and looking directly in his son's green ones.

"First of all, Desideria and I wanted to buy the clothes you need here; but, unfortunately, the shop is closed until tomorrow so we have to wait. And for the rest, listen to me because I'm not going to say it twice, I said a lot of things that I didn't mean while I was talking with the Headmaster. I was angry and a bit unsure, too."

"Why?" Harry asked in a small voice, subconsciously moving toward his adoptive father, a movement that wasn't lost at Severus and urged him to say the last of his truth.

"I was scared, Harry. My father wasn't very different from your relatives and I was, I _am_ scared to make the same mistakes with you and Draco." he explained, praying that the boy would understand what he was trying to say "I talked with the Headmaster about my fears. I feared that you would consider yourselves just nuisances and trouble for me and Desideria while I want you to feel loved and safe."

Harry was now so near that their knees were touching. They stood there in silence for a while, totally losing track of time until the little Gryffindor put a trembling, gentle hand on the potion master's leg attracting his attention.

"I'm sorry." he whispered "I thought you were like them. I…I'm sorry." he repeated again, voice clearly broken by the tears that found their way down his cheeks.

Following his instinct, Severus reached out and enveloped the boy in a warm embrace and Harry immediately started crying and apologizing at the same time, voice muffled by the fabric of his shirt

"Hush now. I understand." the potion master said patting the boy's shoulders

"B-but I w-was bad." the boy protested "I pr-pranked you and c-called you names."

"I know and I'll punish you. But not now." and so Harry enjoyed the fatherly hug until, when the last tear was drained; Severus decided that it was time for some punishment.

The potion master ended the embrace and took the boy by his shoulders

"Now," he intoned in a stern tone "I know that it was a misunderstanding and that's the reason why I'll give you a lighter punishment." he said looking directly in the boy's shining eyes "I won't be so lenient next time, though. When something is wrong, I aspect you to came to us and talk; otherwise we cannot help you." he said lightly shaking the tiny shoulders in front of him "I won't accept such foul language either. Nor toward your brother and certainly not toward your mother and me, understood?" he scolded before straightening his back and, in one fluid movement, spread the boy over his knees

"Next time you have the nerve to prank me I _will_ take your trousers down, young man." he lectured while giving Harry six sound swats and put him on his feet again.

As soon as he was free, the boy started rubbing his sore backside, but if his impossibly wide eyes were anything to go by, he was clearly surprised by the leniency of the punishment and Severus couldn't suppress a smile.

"I told you next time I'll give you a real spanking, but I think that's enough seeing the extreme circumstances."

Standing up, Severus pick the boy up and headed toward the others who were silently waiting at the other end of the clearing.

He really hoped that, by solving that _little_ inconvenience, they would finally have the opportunity to really enjoy their holiday.

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	16. Chapter 16

**A/N ok guys, I'm really really sorry it took so long...please forgive me! Anyway here's the new chapter, enjoy the reading!**

CHAPTER 16- END OF THE BREAK

After Harry and Severus' heart-to-heart, the little family could finally enjoy their Italian holiday, starting with the shopping trip scheduled for the day after.

The day started quite early when, precisely at half past seven, the boys were awakened by their mother with a lovely kiss.

"How are we going there, mum?" Draco asked while walking beside her.

Since yesterday, the two new parents learnt that their boys were totally different. Draco, even if raised to be a cold hearted, pureblood bastard exactly like Lucius, turned out to be quite the cuddle-type, especially if his mother was involved; he was always either sitting on her lap or beside her enveloped in a warm hug.

Harry, on the other hand was, surprising to everyone, attached to Severus. Not that he refused Desideria's pampering of course, but he preferred Severus' presence. He was never more than a couple of feet from his adoptive father and, even if he wasn't brave enough to sit on his lap like Draco used to do with their mother, he always chose the closest seat to him.

"We're taking my old car. Dad gave her to me for my graduation." Desideria said while approaching the garage.

Ten minutes later they were on the road; Draco and Harry sitting behind, as far as physically possible from the other and Severus comfortable in the passenger seat.

When they parked in front of the mall, Severus was sure that he was living in a nightmare. Draco and Harry had yet to stop bickering and that alone gave him a migraine, but the worst part was that his wife couldn't drive to save her life! She was the worst driver that he has ever seen! As soon as she pulled the handbrake, he took the keys from the dashboard and before she could protest, he just glared

"You're not driving a car while I still have a single breath in my body, woman." He said "We risked at least three incidents in the last fifteen minutes!" he growled putting the keys in his pocket getting out of the car.

The boys were right behind him, giggling softly at their mother's resigned frown.

"You're worse than my dad, Severus." She said trying unsuccessfully to hide a smile "I have just a kind of..._sporty drive_." She kept saying rising her chin high and then, winking shamelessly at her sons, she added "It's not my fault if you have a weak, old heart." That said, she calmly took his arm like nothing happened and, ignoring his husbandly scowl, the nymph motioned to the boys to walk in front of them.

Desideria led them toward one of the shop with a big neon sign that says 'THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS.' And a robe and a clearly muggle outfit were displayed side by side in the window.

"What's that, sir?" Harry asked when he saw Severus glancing occasionally at a piece of paper

"The list of the clothes you need." the potion teacher answer and, without taking his eyes off said paper, he took out of his pocket an identical folded sheet of paper saying "This is Draco's."

"Can I look at mine?" the little boy asked

"I want mine, too." Draco said a second later

"Very well. Then you're in charge to make sure that we buy everything that's on those lists, ok?" he asked the two boys and couldn't restrain a smile looking at the serious nod that his blonde son gave him in response, a smile that died as soon as his younger son tried to give him back the list saying

"I don't need all this things, sir."

"Of course you do, Harry." he replied and, refusing the list

"I don't! I have clothes already." the little boy insisted.

Looking around, Severus noted that Draco and Desideria were a few feet away looking trough a pile of jeans, so he decided to guide Harry in a less crowded part of the store and ordered the boy to read the list aloud

"Two trousers and four pair of jeans. See? They are too much already!" the boy exclaimed suddenly only to be quieted and scolded a second later

"I told you to read, Harry. You'll have time to comment later. Go on, now." And so the first year resumed reading

"Five short-sleeved and five long-sleeved shirts, three sweaters, a black robe for school, two formal robes, gloves, scarf, hat, and a coat. And then...underwear." the boy conclude blushing slightly

"Very well." The professor nodded "And of all of this, what do you consider unnecessary?" he finally asked rising the boy chin to have eye contact

"I already have clothes, sir." the boy said "I don't want you to spend too much money on me." he added softly

"First of all, what you used to wear weren't clothes, but rubbish." The potion master said forcefully causing the boy to blush furiously "Second, I told you that you are my son now, and that means I'll spend all the money necessary to make you a properly clothed, happy child."

Harry didn't look convinced, but he didn't protest either, so Severus took him by the shoulder and gently guided his adoptive son toward the rest of their family.

Three and half hours later, they were FINALLY out of the store, Severus' pockets full of enough bags to last until Christmas.

* * *

Saturday night the boys were allowed to stay up late to fully enjoy their last evening with Desideria's family before they had to go back to school.

The boys watched a movie while the adults enjoyed a cards game, then they decided to play a board game until Draco fell asleep on the couch and Harry decided to 'rest' his eyes with the head on the table.

The young parents tucked the two sleeping boys in and reached their room

"It sure was an interesting week." the nymph said changing in her nightshirt "Don't you think?"

"I think _interesting_ is the right word." Severus snorted "First Harry was convinced that I hated him, and then your brothers decided to alley with our sons to _prank_ me."

"It wasn't really their fault!" the nymph said trying to suppress her giggle.

Matt and David meant good, they just wanted the boys to have fun and a couple of days ago, seeing that it was still warm, they suggested a water fight. The only problem was that their lovely sons decided that throwing water-ball at two consentient victims wasn't fun enough and Severus had the misfortune to walk outside at that precise moment.

He was literally fuming and Desideria still believe that her father casted some kind of calming spell on her husband while walking him to the bathroom to find some towels, because nothing else could have prevent the boys to get the spanking of their life.

"Don't you dare laugh at my expense, Desi!" the potion master growled sitting on the bed

"It was so fun!" she managed to say between laughs "You should have seen your face!"

They both lay down and the nymph fell asleep almost immediately while the potion master stared at the ceiling thinking about what else happened that day.

* * *

_Tony accompanied him to the bathroom and when Severus protested that he could easily cast a drying spell on himself and have done in a second, his father in law just smiled and said,_

"_You need more than a second to calm down before you go back to your boys, son." And so the potion master had to dry himself the muggle way and just when he was ready to go back out and scold the kids for their prank, Desideria appeared in the doorway_

"_Is everything alright, Sev?"_

"_It is, yes, but it will be even better when I talk with those boys." he growled half hearted. It wasn't that he wanted to scold them, he actually found it funny, but he knew that people expected him to be stern and chastised the boys and so they would behave._

_He was used to things he didn't want to do after all, when he was a child, he learnt to hide his magic and take care of himself without complaining so not to be beaten by his father; and when his mother died he had to behave like a perfect pureblood, even take the dark mark just to please his grandfather and avoid loneliness. In the end, he learnt to hide his true nature and just act the part someone else imposed him; problem was that he was so good that no one thought that there was more behind his stern, grumpy mask._

_For exactly this reason, he was surprised when a woman who knew him for just a month, smiled and taking his hand said_

"_Drop the act, professor, I know you found it funny." and she dragged him outside, but instead of joining her family she continued to walk_

"_Where are we going?" he asked noticing that they were near the forest behind the house_

"_I want to show you something." she said avoiding eyes contact "But you have to promise to keep the secret first, because not even my brothers know about the place where I'm going to take you." She added turning toward him with wide eyes and for a moment Severus had the impression to stand before the eighteen years old girl that he saw in her mind not even a week ago_

"_I promise." he said seriously recognizing at some deep level that showing him that particular place must have been really important for her. His wife took his hands in hers and he felt the familiar pull at his navel._

_A second later they apparated in a small beach, or better, a small portion of white sand encircled by high trees that gave them the impression to be alone in the whole world._

"_Where are we exactly?" Severus asked looking around; he had the impression of having been there already _

"_We're not far from home, really." Desideria said sitting on the sand "But this place is impossible to reach in any way, I actually discovered it by mistake while I was learning to apparate." she explained smiling "I used to came here when I needed to be alone." and before she could end the sentence, recognition dawned on the potion master._

"_This is the seascape portrayed in the paintings I saw in the corridor the day we arrived, isn't it?" he asked sitting beside his wife and she nodded_

"_I don't know why, but coming here always calmed me."_

_Everything changed that day, even if Severus still couldn't explain how it happened._

_One moment they were talking about the sea, and a second later he was telling her everything, from the marauders to the dark mark. They talked about everything and anything, until it was so dark that they couldn't see each others and the temperature dropped enough to make them shudder._

_Due to the warm temperature of that afternoon, they were both wearing short-sleeved shirts and so it seems natural to sat closer to each other to share their body warm. Somehow Desideria found herself sitting between her husband's legs, her back comfortably leaning against his broad chest and his arms wrapped securely around her._

_They sat there in silence, each one lost in his own thoughts. Severus surprised himself when he leaned forward to kiss his wife's hair and then continued along her cheek line until she turned up her face to offer him her lips._

_They had kissed before, but never like this._

_It was sweet and desperate at the same time, as if trying to communicate each others feelings that were beyond simple words. It was the perfect kiss in many ways, almost like they were sealing the vows they exchanged the week before._

_It was the first time they made love._

* * *

The potion master felt Desideria turn in her sleep until she managed to put her head on his chest, her warm breath tickling lightly the sensitive skin between his neck and his shoulder, instinctively, he tightened his arm around her waist savouring the moment and with a possessively hand on her hips, he finally fell asleep.

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	17. Chapter 17

A/N My beta is on holiday so all the mistakes in this chapter are exclusively mine. I'm sorry if this makes reading more difficult.

I know that you're probably not interested in it, but Monday morning my maternal grandpa died and I want to dedicate this chapter to him, especially since the character of Desideria step-father, Antony, is inspired by him.

17 CHAPTER- BACK HOME

Two weeks had passed since the Snape family had been in Italy.

Draco and Harry hadn't fought once (mostly because they didn't even talk to each other, but why pay attention to little details like these?) and, since he was a happily married man, Severus was less inclined to sarcasm and evil comment in general for the delight of all Hogwarts' student.

All in all, everything was going well. Too well. As everyone knows, this is usually the first indicator that a catastrophe is waiting just around the corner.

Taking advantage of Severus' only free morning of the week, the young couple was enjoying a late breakfast in bed and the catastrophe presented itself in the form of the headmaster's Patronus, a phoenix of course, which appeared in their room asking them to go to Albus' office with some urgency.

As soon as they entered the headmaster's office, they knew something bad happened. Albus had totally lost his typical twinkle and sat in his chair with his hands folded and thoughtful wrinkles on his forehead, he didn't look up when they entered nor did he offer some lemon drops like usual.

"Is everything alright, headmaster?" the nymph asked sitting down even if leaning a bit toward the older wizard "Has something happened to the boys?" she asked again with a worried tone

"The boys are fine." The headmaster reassured her with a small smile that didn't reach his eyes before turning to Severus who, instead of sitting down, decided to stand behind his wife's chair, a protective hand on her shoulder

"I had bad news for you, my boy." The old man said with a sad voice and then he took a big breath as if searching for the strength to deliver it "Sirius escaped Azkaban." He finally said looking straight into the potion master eyes.

Severus wasn't shocked. He was more.

A month ago, Albus had shown concern about the way he was going to treat Harry based on the fact that James Potter was his archenemy, but Severus knew better.

Potter was a pain in the ass when he was with his friends, nothing more than a fastidious mosquito but Black was another story. Sirius Black, on the other end, was the real nightmare of his school years. The boy was pure evil; his pranks were made to hurt not just to have fun like those of James or even the Weasley twins.

Severus wasn't Head of Slytherin for nothing, when the Headmaster told them about Black escape, he was already thinking about all the implication.

"Sev." His wife called him quietly, her right hand softly placed over his that was currently clutching the back of the chair "Who's Sirius?" the potion master sat next to her and started explain trying to avoid her eyes

"He was imprisoned in Azkaban for the murder of twelve muggles and one of his old friends." he murmured

"And you're worried that he could kill someone else?" the nymph asked

"No." Severus replied and forced himself to look his wife in the eyes while he explained further his fears "I think he will try to kill Harry."

"My Harry?" the woman echoed incredulous, both her hands pressed against her heart as she could already feel the pain of a loss "Why?" and this time it was Albus who answered her

"You see, dear, Sirius is Harry's godfather." And before she had the chance to say whatever was in her mind, the older man put up his hand indicating that there was more "It seems that the Minister had considered a good idea to send Sirius a copy of the papers about Harry's adoption."

"What?" in the room exploded the eco of Severus' deep voice "Is he totally out of his mind? Black is a murder!"

"Black." The nymph repeated the name under her breath until realization dawned upon her. She hadn't recognized the name immediately because, in her dreams, Severus always called the man 'Black' or 'mutt' and so it was for the other marauders; she only knew their last name or those ugly nicknames her husband invented during his school years."You mean that Black?" and she stood up making the chair fell "The Black who tried to murder MY HUSBAND?" she yelled at the headmaster.

"That was a long time ago, child." the older man tried to reasoned unsuccessfully, but the angry nymph interrupted him immediately

"I don't care when it happened. He first tried to kill my husband and now he's looking for my child." She looked resolutely into the headmaster's eyes and with an incredibly low voice said "You'd better found him, sir, because I'll defend my family no matter what." and that said she stormed out of the office leaving the two men alone.

For a moment, Severus was tempted to follow his wife to calm her, but he decided that it was the best moment to talk with the Headmaster about the vision that Desideria had on their wedding night.

"I need to talk with you, Albus." he said sitting down.

* * *

Harry entered the Dada class with his head bowed as usual. Since the wedding day, Ron hadn't spoken to him and, seeing that he was his very first and only friend, the little green-eyed boy spent the days alone.

Every now and then, Hermione sat with him in class but it wasn't the same. She was smart and nice, but she took notes all the time (even in History of Magic class!) while Harry and Ron were used to write smart comments about the teacher on the margin of the books. Of course this turn of event granted him good grades, but it was boring and he really miss having a friend.

The lesson was about to begin and since he wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone, Harry chose one of the desk in the back row and sat down.

Professor Quirrell had already begun to write on the blackboard about some sort of dark creature when the door of the classroom snapped making everyone, teacher included, turn around.

"M-Mr. We-Weas-sley, you a-are l-late." the professor said with his usual stammering and before the student had the chance to replied he added "S-s-sit o-over t-th-there and d-don't di-disturb the les-sson fur-further." the professor ordered indicating the seat next to Harry before turning back to the blackboard and continue the lesson

The two first years sat side by side in rigid silence, managing to never touch each other despite the small space they had to share. Like every other time he had Defence, Harry had a headache and decided that daydreaming was certainly better than listen to the lecture so he watched bored as the teacher begun to walk back and forth while talking.

History of magic was in absolute the most boring class of the year, but Dada was just slightly behind. Usually, Quirrell talked for two hours straight making Ron and Harry wondered if he used a spell to avoid fainting for lack of oxygen, he had a low sibilant voice that didn't help to stay awake and more than that he had the annoying habit to walk between the desks so that they couldn't talk with each others. Harry glanced quickly at an almost sleeping Ron, they used to spend those lessons making plan to prank the boring professor, once they think to...

The first year gryffindor looked up suddenly failing to contain a big smile. He knew how to be friend with Ron again!

Harry took his wand out of the pocket, it was a silly prank and he knew it, but it would show Ron that he was still the same Harry even if it means getting a detention.

Harry waited until the professor was giving him the back then raised his wand and enchanted the spell that the twins thought them the first week of school. Recognizing the whispered spell, Ron turned toward him with his mouth open, probably still deciding if his former fried was incredibly brave or just plain stupid, in response Harry shrugged and watched in front of him ready for the show to start.

Not even three seconds later, the defence professor's skin became a brilliant blue but he didn't notice anything wrong a part for the giggles that were spreading among the first-year students. The wizard, ignoring to look like a giant Smurf, continued his lecture until he felt his feet leaving the ground.

The defence master was floating around the class waving his arms and legs like a crazy while the whole class laughed aloud.

When the effects of the spell ended, the professor fell on the ground on his back; he stood up holding his head and thundered

"Who dared do this to me?" for the first time since the start of the year, the defence master didn't stuttered instead he rose to his full height and he even looked threatening "Tell me right now! Or I will take 100 points for every one of you!"

Silence fell on the class until a stupid Ravenclaw named Morag McDougal stood up

"I saw Potter casting a spell, professor." he said loud enough to be heard by everyone, Quirrell turned toward the last line of desk like a fury, he stopped just in front of Harry and with a low managing voice ordered

"You're coming with me to the Headmaster, Potter and I will see that you'll be expelled."

The gryffindor was shocked in silence, even more when he heard a fearful Ron said

"I cast the spell too, professor."

"Both of you will come with me then. The rest of you dismissed!" the professor thundered at the end while taking both boys arms and roughly marching them out of the class.

Severus and Albus had just finished talking when one of the portraits announced that a professor and two students were on their way

"It looks like you have troublemakers to deal with, Albus. I'll go looking for my wife, then." the potion master said rising from the chair ready to leave the headmaster to his duty when he saw who one of the students was.

It looks like professor Quirrell hadn't seen him, however, because he just marched rapidly toward the headmaster's massive desk

"H-Headmaster, t-t-those t-two s-st-studen-dents p-pranked m-me i-in m-my cl-class." he said still holding the first years by their arms

"Professor Quirrell, what happened to your face?" Albus asked with twinkling eyes noticing the blue spots on the professor's skin

"I t-told y-you, s-s-sir. T-They p-pranked m-me!" the young teacher protested and this time he added "I w-want a le-letter s-sent t-to t-the pa-pa-parents, s-s-sir."

"In this case, consider Mr. Snape's letter already sent." The potion master said making his presence known, and while Quirrell only looked surprised, the two first years' faces were priceless.

"M-Mr. S-S-Snape?" the defence professor asked confused and Albus replied before the potion master had the chance to do it himself

"Severus and Desideria had adopted Harry a little more than two weeks ago, Quirinus. I announced it last Monday during lunch, don't you remember?" the man blushed furiously before stuttering

"I w-was in t-the in-infirmary, I t-think."

Severus stepped forward ignoring the conversation and put a firm hand on his son's shoulder smirking slightly when he heard the boy gulp audibly "If that's all, headmaster, I'll take Harry with me until lunch time. It seems that we have things to discuss."

"Of course, Severus." the old wizard nodded his consent at his former pupil who moved toward the door, but stopped suddenly turning to the other teacher

"I think it's better if you go to the infirmary before the afternoon lessons, Quirrell." he said "I'll take Harry there in a while to apologize." For same strange reason, the green eyed boy decided that it was a good moment to find his voice again and protested loudly

"I don't want to apologize to him!" unfortunately, this poor attempt only earned him a glare from his adoptive father

"You'll do exactly what I say, young man."

"But it was just a joke!" the read head at the other side of the room joined the protest "No one was hurt!"

"It was a prank nonetheless, Mr. Weasley." Severus said stern "And you're lucky that Professor Quirrell is much more lenient than me." he added ignoring the blush that his words caused to said professor; the short scolding had his effects on Ron who sank on the chair even if he still sported a mutinous look. Severus was ready to go back in his quarters when Harry tried one last protest

"Ron's right! It was jus..." before he had the chance to end the phrase, the potion master lift the hand that was currently holding the boy's shoulder to give him a heavy smack on the behind he then lean forward and whispered directly in the boy's ear

"If I heard another word from you, I will not wait to arrive in our quarters to administer some much needed discipline. Am I clear?" he said ignoring the undignified yelp that escaped his son's lips

"Yes, sir." the boy whispered with his face in flames from the humiliation of the public smack.

* * *

Nothing and I mean nothing is more humiliating to be lead by the hand by your father, adoptive one as he was, across the whole school, especially since the lessons just ended and all the students were walking in the corridors to reach the Great Hall.

When they finally entered their quarters, Harry sighed with relief just to hold his breath a second later when he felt his adoptive father hand guide him toward the living room.

The potion master sat on one of the couch and put the boy between his open knees

"Since when do you start to prank your teachers, Harry?" he asked in a low, controlled voice

"I did it only once." He justified himself looking intently at the floor

"And that makes it all right how?" the older wizard asked raising the boy's chin with a finger

"But it was only Quirrell." the little gryffindor whined making his father raise his eyebrow high

"_Professor_ Quirrell, young man and you don't prank _any_ of your teachers. Do you understand me?" he said adding a bit of steel in his tone, he expected the boy to look contrite by now, but he just looked at him with those incredibly big green eyes of his and said

"But you hate him too!" for a second Severus didn't know what to say. Of course he despises that sorry excuse of a man, but he thought to have been less obvious in his dislike.

"I don't hate him." he started uncertainly "Anyway, that's not an excuse for your behaviour." he scolded the child "He's one of your professor and that means that you have to respect him. Understood?" he ended shaking the boy's chin lightly. Harry just kept looking, a flash of anger lightening his eyes and for a moment Severus had the impression to look directly into Lily's eyes when she was about to throw a royal fit, but the anger passed and the boy lowered his eyes felling chastised.

"Yes, sir." The potion master acknowledged the answer with a brief nod before taking the boy's arm, turning him on his side and giving him six rapid swats

"No more pranks." He said sternly before adding two more slaps directly on the boy's sensitive sit spot "Especially on your professors." And with that he turn the boy back around and hugged him.

"I'm s-sorry." The little voice was hard to hear muffled by the man's robes "I w-won't do it a-again."

"I know, Harry." He reassured the boy "And it's all forgiven, you just have to apologize to Professor Quirrell." The first year break the hug and, with a resolute expression, start walking toward the door.

"Where are you going now?" the older wizard asked forcing himself to smile reassuring, he didn't need to ask to know that probably Harry thought that part of the punishment was skipping lunch and, unfortunately, his thoughts were confirmed when the boy answered candidly

"To the infirmary, to apologize to professor Quirrell."

"No, you're not." The potion master said standing up "First of all, we ask the house elves to bring us some lunch, and then you'll go to the infirmary."

"B-but...lessons start in half an hour." the boy said confused

"It just means that you'll apologize before dinner." The older man stated simply nodding toward the kitchen and this time Harry complied in silence.

The night found Severus and Desideria sitting comfortably in front of the fire talking about the events of the day

"Where did he learn such a spell, I wonder." the nymph said when her husband finished telling her about Harry's prank

"He refused to tell me, but given the youngest Weasley presence, I'm positive that those infernal twins have a part in this." he replied and hid a smirk remembering that during lunch, when he asked Harry who taught him the spell, the boy told him that he wasn't going to be a telltale especially on friends' family, and that was the prove that the boy couldn't make a good slytherin.

"I for sure can't blame him." Desideria said ignoring her husband's thoughts "I can't stand the man. There's something wrong with him."

A/N don't forget to review! It really get me inspired!


	18. Chapter 18

CHAPTER 18- PRANKS AND BIRTHDAYS

Draco crossed the common room ignoring the others Slytherins and walked directly toward the first year's dorm then launched himself on the green bed and sighed heavily.

It had been the worst afternoon ever.

After lunch he had double DADA with Hufflepuff, his favorite class until now. He arrived on time and sat on the front desk near Theodore Nott like usual and waited for the professor's arrival.

DADA was an easy class because, apparently, Quirrell had problems remembering; in fact he often repeated the same lessons more than once and he generously gave points to the slytherin even when it wasn't necessary.

Draco was diligently listening (again!) to the lecture about the dark creatures of Romania, when the professor stopped in front of his desk

"T-Think yours-s-self s-s-superior, M-Mr. S-S-Snape?" he asked frowning; the first year looked at him confused before answering.

"No, sir."

"W-Why a-aren't y-you t-t-taking n-notes, t-then?" blushing a bit, Draco raised his chin and refuse to answer "Y-Y-You're e-e-exactly l-l-like t-t-that a-a-arrogant b-b-brother o-of y-yours."

"I don't have a brother, professor." The blonde boy said sounding slightly confused

"W-Who's t-the b-boy w-who l-lived then?" the DADA teacher pointed out "H-H-His l-last n-name is S-Snape t-too, i-if I'm n-not m-mistaken."

"He is not my brother!" Draco almost yelled

"Y-Yet y-you s-s-share t-the s-same p-parents." Quirrell said smugly

"He was adopted!"

"Y-You t-too M-Mr. S-Snape. I-It l-looks l-like P-P-Professor S-Snape h-has a s-soft s-spot f-for l-lost p-puppies." the usually shy professor snide. The first year was beyond furious. First of all: HARRY BLOODY POTTER WAS NOT HIS BROTHER and second, Severus and Desideria were really his parents, they didn't adopt him out of pity like they did with Potter, but the boy knew he couldn't answer back at the professor without losing a million points to his house, so he just crossed his arms and with all the little dignity he had left said

"Do you know that you have blue spots on your face, sir?"

The rest of the class burst out laughing while Quirrell was too shocked to talk, the vein on his temple was thumping fast and he opened and closed his month for a few minutes before he managed to shout

"O-O-Out o-o-of m-m-my c-c-class! I w-w-will t-t-talk w-w-with y-y-your h-h-head of h-house a-a-about t-t-this!" and with all the pride he could muster, Draco stood and did just that.

He was doing homework lying on his bed for no more than twenty minutes, when his classmates opened the door

"That was great, Draco!" Theodore Nott said sitting on the bed near him

"What are you lot doing here? There's still an hour before the end of class." the blonde slytherin said. Supportive and united as they were, no slytherin would voluntary skip a lesson and incurring in the ire of their head of house, alias his very own father.

"Well, after you leaved the class, Quirrell was so worked up that he started stuttering so much that we couldn't understand a single word so he dismissed us all." The other boy explained with a smile before looking directly at Draco and adding with a wink "I don't think he had time to talk with professor Snape."

Feeling really more relaxed at the news, Draco joined his classmates in a game of exploding snap.

* * *

Draco thought and re-thought about Quirrel's words and he came at the conclusion that it was all Harry-bloody-_Snape_ fault. Being a Snape was his fault! Why did his parents decide to adopt such a loser? Wasn't he a good enough son?

That stupid Gryffindor!

The little blonde Slytherin was so immersed in his thoughts that he didn't see the student that was coming from behind the corner and they bumped into each other. Like the gentleman he was raised to be, Draco had an apology ready on the tip of his tongue until he saw exactly who the other student was.

"Look where you're going, scar head!" he snapped standing up

"I didn't see you, Draco." the Gryffindor replied annoyed

"You have glasses for that, you idiot!"

"Hey!" Ronald Weasley intervened defending his just re-found friend "No need to become nasty!"

"Shut up, _Weasel_! No one asked you!"

"You shut up, git!" Harry yelled stepping between the red head and his adoptive brother.

"You're the one insulting us without reason!" he said pushing the slytherin.

Draco was ready to return the favor when Ron, after glancing briefly at the corridor, elbowed his gryffindor friend and whispered "Snape's coming this way. Better go." And without another word, the two gathered the books that had fallen on the ground early and run toward their dormitory.

* * *

That episode, however, signed the start of a war between the two adoptive brothers.

On Friday, Draco tried and succeeds in sneakily ruining Harry's Boil-cure potion without being caught by Snape and that resulted in a two hours long detention for the Gryffindor.

On Saturday afternoon, after leaving detention where his adoptive father proceeded to scold him until his ears rang, Harry decided to seek revenge. With the help of Ron, he managed to spell Draco's hair gryffindor red for the next twenty-four hours.

They succeeded in continuing that prank war for more than a week without being caught by the teachers and, most importantly, by their parents.

Things changed the day before Desideria's birthday.

Like every other Sunday afternoon the caste was relatively calm, the adults were taking a tea in the teachers' room and most of the students were doing their homework for the following day.

The peace and quiet of that almost perfect afternoon was abruptly interrupted by a loud noise

"What was that?" professor McGonagall asked standing up and firmly marching toward the door followed immediately by her colleagues

"It sounded like the alarm I set on my classroom." Severus replied.

In less than five minutes, all the professors and some of the students were in front of the potion classroom, with a flick of his wand, Severus opened the door that was set to close automatically as soon as the alarm starts ring.

When they stepped inside, they were greeted by the sight of two familiar little boys with identical guilty expression on their faces

"Harry! Draco! What are you two doing here?" the nymph asked reaching the front of the crowd where her husband stood too, but the boys didn't answered and after a minute of that protracted silence, the headmaster clapped his hands once saying

"Since it looks like your boys are fine, I think we can all return to our previous activities." even if a bit reluctantly, everyone obeyed the old wizard implicit order and in a blink the family was alone in the dungeon.

Without a word, Severus reached out and, after grabbing a little shoulder in each hand, firmly guided his sons toward their quarters and as soon as the boys sat on the couch, Desideria repeated her question.

"What were you doing in your father's classroom?" and again the two little Snapes didn't answer, but this time it wasn't a jovial Dumbledore but a highly annoyed Severus who broke it

"You'd better answer right now or I'll just assume you were doing something bad and start punish accordingly."

"We didn't mean for the alarm to set off." Harry said immediately

"That doesn't explain your presence in my classroom." The man replied crossing his arms over his chest

"We were looking for you." Draco said looking at his mother

"In the potion classroom?" Desideria asked doubtful

Both Severus and Desideria knew that their son was lying but before one of them could scold him, Harry nodded vigorously adding

"I came here looking for you and I found Draco in front of the door. We decided to look if you were in the potion classroom." The potion master looked at both of them in silence before uncrossing his arms

"You stay right there while I talk with your mother."

Closing the kitchen door with a bit more force than necessary, Desideria turned toward her husband

"They're lying and you know it."

"Of course I know." He replied calmly "And I think today is related to all the pranks that happened this week." he added leaning against the counter. Desideria walked closer and raised an eyebrow in silent question and he gladly comply smirking rather evilly

"I think we can pretend that they're telling the truth. We'll just give them a token punishment for being where they weren't supposed to and in the meantime we can easily find the proofs that they're behind those pranks…"

"And punish them for that." she finished for him. They stood there for a few seconds looking into each other eyes until the nymph turned around abruptly and walked to the door

"You're frighteningly evil, my husband." she said before entering the living room.

She stopped just in front of them and without waiting for Severus to reach them she looked sternly at her offspring and said

"You both know you're not supposed to go into your father classroom no matter what." And before the terrible duo could protest she raised her hand and continued "He already explained you how dangerous that room could be with all the potions that are inside. This is the reason we decided that you'll be grounded to this quarters until Wednesday evening."

"It's not fair!" Draco all but yelled only to be immediately rebuked by his father

"We can easily ground you for Halloween too, Draco, and you will be if I hear a single protest from one of you."

When both boys sat in silence, Desideria said

"For the next three days you'll leave these quarters only for class and for now you can go straight to your rooms, one of us will call you for dinner."

While her sons stomped upstairs, Desideria went back in the kitchen to prepare dinner

"You can ask the elves to bring something." Severus said entering the room behind her

"I know, but I really love cooking so it's not a big problem." She explained

"Tomorrow is your birthday." He stated

"I'm aware of that, Sev." She replied without turning

"I don't want the boy's punishment to ruin your birthday, Desi." He said hugging his wife from behind and making her turn toward him before continuing "So we will find a babysitter for tomorrow evening and go out to dinner like we planned."

"There's no need…" she started to protest but Severus' lips on hers silenced her quite easily.

After a head-spin kiss, Severus released her and picking up a knife to peel the potatoes said

"I have a surprise for you and I refuse to have it ruined by those brats."

* * *

When Draco arrived in his quarters the following afternoon, Severus was comfortably sitting on his favorite armchair reading a book and Desideria was coming down the stairs. A totally normal scene, apart the fact that they were both wearing elegant clothes. Too elegant.

"Why are you dressed like this?" Draco asked throwing his backpack on one of the sofa

"Your father's taking me out for dinner." She explained briefly before scolding him "Don't leave your backpack there, Draco, it has its place."

"Where are you going?" the boy repeated ignoring his mother order but before she could scold him again, Harry entered the room.

Contrary to his adoptive brother, as soon as he entered the quarters, Harry hung the backpack at the hanger and then turned to them and noticed their unusual dressing

"Are you going out?" he asked looking at Desideria and she smiled. The little gryffindor hadn't called them 'mum' and 'dad' and, while he was totally comfortable with calling Severus 'sir', he didn't know how to refer to his adoptive mother yet.

"Yes, Harry. Like I said to Draco a moment ago, your father decided to take me out for dinner. Professor McGonagall should arrive at any moment and she will be in charge until we return."

At that very moment, Slytherin portrait announced Minerva arrival and both boys were dismissed with the order to change out of their uniform before starting their homework.

"Stop pretending to be such a goody-goody!" Draco said angrily when they were both upstairs "You're just a lousy ass-licker."

"I'm not pretending, idiot!" the Gryffindor shot back not even trying to understand why the other boy was angry at him again.

"Then stop _being_ such a loser!" the slytherin all but yelled

"And you stop being such an ass!" Harry yelled back

"It's your fault if we are in trouble." The blond boy hissed "And you'll pay for it!" he said before slamming the door.

* * *

The sun was coming down so Severus and Desideria walked slowly toward the gates savoring every moment of that romantic sunset.

They were halfway from there when the nymph tried to ask Severus about their destination

"I'm not going to tell you, love." He replied smirking and just with that she knew he was enjoying himself too much.

Severus wasn't an endearments type, but Desideria learned that he tended to use them when he was being sarcastic or just joking around like that moment.

They kept walking in silence until they reach the gates and when they passed the no-apparition point, the potion master took his wife hand

"Close your eyes." He ordered softly and when she complied without further question he apparated them both away.

As soon as her feet touched the ground, the nymph opened her eyes only to find herself standing in front of the most gorgeous house she had ever seen.

Truth be told, it was more a palace than a normal house. The walls were made of white stones and on the front there was a quite big porch delimited by ten massive columns of candid marble, the front of that wonderful house was full of big, wooden windows.

A stone path started from the porch stairs and reached up to the wrought-iron gate almost twenty feet away and flowers of all kinds decorated the small garden in front of the house.

"Welcome to Prince Manor, Mrs. Snape." Severus said from her side

"Prince Manor?" she echoed turning toward him

"This house belonged to my mother." He said softly and then, looking straight into her chocolate eyes, he continued "Until a few decades ago, witches didn't have any propriety entitled apart from the ones part of their dowry that were passed to the husbands at the moment of the wedding. In this way they were dependent for everything and anything from their fathers will first, and their husbands will after the wedding. In occasion of my mother birth, her paternal grandmother decided to entitle her this house." He paused and sighed deeply and hearing the pain behind his words, Desideria took her husband hands and squeezed them gently giving him the strength to go on with the story "My parents get married in secret and when my grandfather discovered it he disinherited my mother. Of course that meant that everything that was part of her dowry would pass to her brother, this house included. No one realized that my great grandmother entitled the propriety to my mother _nominally_ thus even after she was disinherited the house was still hers. It was only after her death that I received a letter from Gringotts saying that I became the owner of Prince Manor. When I came here the first time I couldn't stop thinking about how different my mother life would have been if she only knew and if hurt too bad. I hadn't thought about this place until we went in Italy, then I realized that I want our family to be like yours. In the house where I live now there's no place for love, it's too full of darkness and memories of what I have done. I want _this_ to be the house where we will raise our children, where I can forget who I was before I met you." a heavy silence stretched between them after his words. Desideria stared in those black eyes and she could easily see the little, bare house he grew up in, his school mates teasing about the state of his robes, she could fell his pain when he took the mark and she didn't know what to say.

"I love you." She said it without a second thought. Those few syllables didn't covered in any way how she felt about him, but apparently it was enough because he straighten up and smiling that sexy, handsome smile of his, Severus cupped her cheek lovely

"I love you too, my nymph." he then kissed the hand that had squeezed his a few moments before and guided his wife through the heavy wooden door.

After hearing the story, Desideria expected to find dark dusty rooms, but once again her husband surprised her,

"Cindy came here two day ago with a couple of other elves to clean everything." He murmured softly in her ear making her wonder if it was his warm breath or his deep voice that made her shiver that way.

"She even owled your mother to ask her the recipe of that cake you like so much." He was saying, his voice lower and hoarser at every second until she turn in his embrace facing him.

"I know same fast warming spell." She whispered smirking "So I say we eat later, much later, and we…explore the master bedroom right now." She said rising on tiptoe to reach his lips better.

"I take it you like your birthday present?" he asked placing his hand on her hips

"I know it will be my best birthday ever." she replied softly before covering the few inches that separated their lips.


	19. Chapter 19

A/N Here's an extra long chapter for you! Hope you like it!

CHAPTERS 19- TWO NAUGHTY BROTHERS

Harry had never liked Halloween very much. Halloween was the day someone left him in front of the Dursley's door and that meant that they were extremely nasty and bad tempered all day long.

Usually, he was left alone in the cupboard while his relatives went with Dudley doing Trick or Treating in the neighborhood, but that wasn't even the worst part. They always found a good excuse to not give him anything for dinner; so, being dragged out of his refuge only to have to sit in the kitchen just to watch his cousin devour all his candies in one go was pure torture.

That year, however, Harry was an optimist. He had friends (well he had _one_ friend, Ron, and Hermione was okay when she wasn't talking about homework or rules) and he had a family (well, he had a sort-of-mother, he was still a bit afraid of his sort-of-a-father, but he was working on it and he had a sort-of-brother too, but luckily the castle was big enough that it was easy to avoid see each other).

He wasn't alone anymore and that was enough for him.

The green eyed boy entered the Gryffindor common room and immediately found his friend sitting in front of the fire, a chessboard in front of him

"Hey Harry! You wanna play?" the red hair asked, Harry nodded enthusiastically and sat on the other side of the chessboard.

The last few days hadn't been fun at all since his adoptive parents decided that neither he nor Draco could be out of their sight and that meant that he had spent three whole days in the same room with that annoying Slytherin.

The two Gryffindors had just finished placing the chess pieces when Hermione Granger came down the stairs of the girls' dormitory

"You should study at least once in a while." She said sitting comfortably in an armchair near them, a huge book in her hands

"Mind your own business, Granger." Ron spat without raising his eyes from their game

"I was just saying." The girl replied tossing a lock of hair behind her shoulder "I think your grades would improve drastically if you just would spend less time playing and more time studying." She said with that irritating, haughty tone of her

"And, you could have at least one friend if you stopped being such an annoying know-it-all!" the red hair replied with force.

This time the first year girl didn't answer, she was petrified on the armchair, cheeks flushed with embarrassment and eyes suspiciously wet. She sat there motionless for a couple of seconds and then ran toward the exit disappearing behind the Fat Lady portrait.

"I think you've crossed the line this time, Ron." Harry whispered his eyes glued on the armchair the girl had just vacated.

* * *

"Why do we have to go through this every year is far beyond my comprehension." Severus muttered to no one in particular

"Through what, my boy?" Albus asked pretending that they didn't have that same conversation every year

"Stuffing all these already hyperactive brats with sugar." The potion master said nodding toward the four tables in front of them that were full of foods

"Today is special for the wizard community and we have the duty to celebrate it." The headmaster replied with a smile direct at the students who were noisily enjoying the feast

"The magical potential of All Saints night has nothing to do with this muggle tradition of eating candies." The younger wizard said noticing, with a grimace of disgust, that his sons were savoring chocolate cake

"There's nothing wrong in mixing the tradition of two different worlds, is it Desideria?" Albus asked turning to the nymph who was silently sitting near her husband

"It depends by the tradition, I think." She replied sipping her iced tea

"How do you conciliate the wizard and the muggle traditions in Italy?" professor McGonagall asked interested, glad to have a legitimate excuse to avoid the rest of Severus' complain.

"We don't have this sort of problem in Italy because we don't celebrate Halloween." The younger woman said "All Saints night is celebrated only by the magical community and everyone has their own way of doing it. For example, nymphs…" but before Desideria had the time to start the explanation the double doors of the Great Hall opened with a thus letting a pallid professor Quirrell enter.

The usually quiet man ran to the Head Table yelling

"Troll in the dungeons! Troll in the dungeons!" before fainting.

* * *

Draco stood up, ready to follow his house mates to the dorm like ordered by the headmaster.

A troll in the dungeons. Trolls were the stupidest creature in the whole world.

The Slytherin snorted thinking that it was most than likely a prank.

Wait a minute!

The blond boy turned suddenly toward the Gryffindor table.

Harry-bloody-Snape and his idiot sidekick were still sitting in their places, whispering urgently to each other.

He knew it!

They were clearly behind the troll prank!

Draco followed their every move like a hawk. The two Gryffindors were still sitting in their place, heads bent toward each other whispering desperately one another until they both bolt upright and ran out the Great Hall.

Busted!

If there was a guilty behavior it was theirs. The blond Slytherin threw a quick glance at the prefects of his house, but the older students were too busy trying to keep the panicked kids under control to pay attention to him an without a second thought, Draco left the group and followed his hated adoptive brother and his friend.

The whole troll story could have been true, but those two were clearly up to something and he was going to find out what if only to tell everything to uncle Sev and show him and his mother that Harry-bloody-Snape wasn't a saint at all.

* * *

Before professor Quirrell had time to faint, Harry and Ron exchanged a look and knew they were both thinking the same thing.

Hermione.

They hadn't seen the girl since after her little argument with the red head. Going to the Great Hall for dinner, Harry proposed to go looking for her, but Lavanda Brown, a first year girl of their same house who had overheard the conversation, told the two boys bluntly that after what they'd done, the least they could do was leave Hermione cry alone, she was in the girls bathroom on the third floor and was going to be fine as long as they stayed away from her.

"Hermione doesn't know about the troll!" Ron yelled above the panicked shouts of the other children

"I know!" Harry replied leaning toward the other boy "We need to tell the prefects." He reasoned, but the red head just made a face

"My brother's the prefect! He's a prat!"

"I'll go tell my m…Desideria then!" the green eyed boy said, blushing furiously knowing that he had almost referred to Desideria as 'his mum' like he often did in his thoughts

"Don't have time, mate!" Ron yelled "We'll tell her ourselves!"

"We can't!" Harry cried "Dumbledore said that all the students must go straight to their dormitory!"

"Hermione doesn't know about the troll, Harry!" the other boy replied

"Snape will get mad at me!" he tried to deter him

"He won't find out! Came on, we need to save Hermione!" Ron shouted taking his friend's sleeve and dragging him out the Great Hall

"But I just end my grounding!" the little gryffindor complained, felling that he need to protest a bit more even if he was already running with his friend to the third floor.

Find the right bathroom was easy enough

"Hermione!" Ron yelled slamming the wooden door open "Came out!"

"There's a troll in the castle! We've to go back in the dormitory! Quick!" Harry echoed his friend.

The two first years were standing in the middle of the girls' bathroom determined to save their mutual friend from the danger of a troll when they heard a soft but haughty voice coming from the farthest toilet

"That's a lame excuse, boys. Trolls live in colonies far from populated areas as clearly stated in 'Wizard and Other Magical Creatures' that I've read."

"We're not lying, 'Mione! I swear!" the red head shouted standing in front of the toilet occupied by the girl "Open the door!"

"I'm not buying it." Ron turned to his loyal friend with an exasperated look

"It's true, Hermione. There's really a troll in the ca…" the toilet door shoot open startling both boys, their friend stood there, hands on her hips and repeated between clenched teeth

"I said that trolls don't come near populated areas and…" talking at the same time to make the girl believe that they really weren't lying, none of them noticed that Hermione was petrified with fear until a strange noise made them simultaneously turn toward the bathroom door.

Forget about having just disobeyed Dumbledore's orders. Forget about being caught on a forbidden floor (because they do know that they weren't supposed to be on the third floor in any case). Forget about Snape being mad. Forget about everything.

Right in front of them, three young, short eleven year olds, there was a huge, enormous mountain troll.

They were dead meat.

* * *

When he saw them running out the Great Hall, Draco thought that the two boys were going to sneak in the kitchens to eat more chocolate pudding (everyone knew that house elves had a soft spot for Gryffindors).

When he realized that they were heading toward the third floor, he was positive that it has something to do with a prank of some sort and that nothing could save his adoptive brother from a good spanking.

When he saw them enter the girls' bathroom he was just confused, but when he saw a full grown mountain troll, a real, huge, deadly dangerous mountain troll broke the door of that very same bathroom with a fist, he knew something wasn't right.

He really hated both his adoptive brother and that idiot that he called friend, but he couldn't leave them there, so he took a deep breath and wishing that he had just followed the prefects instead, he followed the troll inside.

What was with Gryffindors and a total lack of sense of preservation?

Harry and Ron stood in front of the troll as still as statues and, oh Merlin, the Granger girl was right behind them.

"Move you idiots!" Draco yelled at the trio while drawing his wand.

Apparently, that single shout was enough to take the others out of their shocked state because they all moved simultaneously.

Not used to using magic in his everyday life, Harry didn't even think about taking out his wand and just launched himself at one of the troll's leg while Ron repeated the spells casted by the slytherin.

Unsurprisingly, it was Hermione who had the idea to use the troll own weapon against him

"The bat!" she yelled

"What?" Ron asked confused, stopping his spells casting for a moment

"Try to levitate his bat!" the girl shouted again

"Do it yourself, 'Mione! I'm kind of busy!"

"I've lost my wand!" the Gryffindor yelled back and as proving her point, she kneeled down trying to recuperate the wand that had fallen behind a sink

"Wingardium Leviòsa!" the red head shouted trying at the same time to avoid the bat that was being agitated without control by its owned

"Not like that Ron! You're saying it wrong!" Hermione scolded the boy

"It's not time for lesson, Granger!" Draco shouted jumping out of the way when the troll tried to grab him

"Wingardium Levìosa!" Ron casted again and this time the bat stayed still in mid air, effectively leaving the troll empty handed.

Contrary to what they thought, however, when he realized that he didn't have a weapon anymore, the troll bent over grabbing the first thing he found.

Harry.

"Let me go!" the boy yelled waving his arms around, trying to free himself from the beast grip. Hearing his friend shout, Ron threw his wand away and started pouncing the troll in a desperate attempt to make him free the other boy; Hermione managed to grab her wand and she started casting every spell she knew, but being the brightest witch of her age, she was aware that it was just a matter of time before they were overwhelm by the troll brute force; Draco was a step from break down and cry in desperation. And just when the four children had lost every hope in coming out of that adventure alive, a deep voice shouted:

"Stupefy!"

In a second and without knowing how, the four kids found themselves lined against a wall, as far as possible from the stunned troll. They would have gladly taken a sigh of relief if it weren't for the furious potion master who was currently standing in front of said troll.

* * *

Before the wizard had the time to take his rage out on the first years, professor McGonagall appeared on the door, the headmaster and Desideria just behind her.

"For Merlin sake!" the old with said placing a hand over her heart "What happened here, Severus?" she asked looking at the destroyed bathroom

"You neutralized the troll! Good job, my boy!" Albus congratulated the young professor. Only the nymph seemed to notice that her husband was focusing on the opposite wall, eyes flashing with rage, and the main reason was that half the kids lined against that wall were theirs.

Before any of the adults had the time to react further at the sight in front of them, two balls of energy, named Draco and Harry, rushed to Desideria hugging her for dear life.

Without a second thought, and forgetting about everyone in that room beside his two boys and the woman who was with them, Severus crossed the room in two long strides and only after he had his arms around his family, he allowed himself to breathe again.

For a long moment, everything was still; the only things audible were the first years sniffling and Severus heavy breathing. Everyone stared at the little family standing in the middle of the room, headmaster Dumbledore still on the doorstep while professor McGonagall had discretely reached her two little lions to comfort them.

When the motherly part of her was satisfied, Desideria took out her wand and casted four quick diagnostic spells over the children

"Thank Merlin." She murmured "None of them had a single scratch." She announced the at the other three adults with half a smile of relief

"Five point each for the luck then!" professor McGonagall stated happily

"Not so fast." The potion master deep voice interrupted the two women making everyone turn toward him.

He was blind with fear, scared that one of his boys was deathly injured, but after hearing that they were both fine, Severus needed just a couple of moments to connect the dots and the result wasn't pretty at all.

"What were you four doing here?" he asked moving a step away from his children to look them in the eyes, the two boys immediately lower their heads confirming his suspects.

Before one of his sons had the chance to explain, however, Hermione Granger answered in a soft voice

"It was my fault, Professor Snape." The girl said without looking him into the eyes "I followed the troll because I thought I could defeat him, sir. The boys were just trying to dissuade me."

"Miss Granger!" professor McGonagall "What were you thinking, young lady? Even grown wizards…" but before his colleague could continue the sharp scolding, Severus interrupted her

"Miss Granger, do you think I'm stupid?" he asked the little gryffindor raising his infamous eyebrow

"Of course not, professor!" the girl assured him blushing deeply

"Then do me the courtesy to not lie to me and tell exactly what happened."

The children exchanged looks, but apparently none of them wanted to be the one to do the explanation so the potion master gently encourage them

"I will take fifty points each for every minute I have to wait for the explanation."

"Hermione didn't know about the troll, sir." Ron said ignoring the dirty looks of the other three "Harry and I came here to tell her."

"Why didn't you tell me?" the transfiguration teacher asked

"We didn't have time, professor." The red head defended his actions "And we thought that the troll was in the dungeons not on the third floor!"

"And how did you come into the picture, Draco?" Severus asked turning to his blond son

"I saw them running here and I followed them, sir." The slytherin said with his eyes glued on the floor

"You have something to add, Harry?" the potion master asked to his other son who had still to say a word

"No, sir. That's everything." He murmured

"Unbelievable!" professor McGonagall exclaimed.

Albus Dumbledore, who had just observe the scene until that moment, decided that it was time to intervene

"I think that this experience is a lesson learned about obeying your elders, was it not children?" and after the four identical, quick nods, the older wizard continued "You will all serve detention with professor Snape tomorrow, but for now I think you should go to bed and have a good night sleep."

The four children quickly walked toward the now not-existent door, but Desideria firm voice stopped them dead in their tracks

"Not you two, misters." She ordered her sons who had the audacity to look at her with huge innocent eyes

"Why not, mum?" Draco asked faking ignorance

"You'll sleep in our quarters tonight."

"But why?" the blond boy asked again

"_Why?_" she echoed incredulous "Draco Michael Snape! You really didn't expect something like this to go unpunished, did you?"

"But we got a detention!" Harry whined

"Yeah and that's punishment enough!" Draco complained right after him.

Knowing that they had an over attentive audience and not inclined to putting on a show, Desideria covered the few feet that separated her from her offspring and, leaning toward them she said in a low voice,

"You'd better march yourselves to our quarters right now and without further complaints." And before the boys could reply she spun them around and pointed them toward the exit with a heavy swat on each little behind.

* * *

Ten minutes after entering their quarters, Harry and Draco were still sitting on the same couch, the angry whispers of their parents perfectly audible from the kitchen.

"How mad do you think they are?" Harry asked the Slytherin, careful to keep his voice low

"Lots." The other boy replied in the same tone

"You think they will give me time to take my things before sending me away?" the green eyed boy asked again and this time, instead of answering right away, Draco looked at him dumbstruck

"You still think they'll kick you out?"

"Why shouldn't they? I really made a mess tonight." The other boy replied

"I did too."

"You're their real son."

"You are too, idiot. Didn't you listen at all when uncle Sev told you so?" Harry just shrugged "You're part of this family. You really should start believing it."

"My relatives always said that freaks like me don't deserve a family." Harry confess in a tone barely audible.

For the first time since the day of the adoption, Draco felt sympathy for the other boy.

He was so happy to have a mother like Desideria and to be able to finally have Severus as a father that he sometimes forgot how his life was before.

Narcissa had never been a good mother, she was always too busy either drinking or organizing some party for the other pureblood families; Lucius was usually away due to business travel and when he was home he didn't miss occasion to punish Draco for every behavior unworthy a pureblood child.

He really didn't find difficult imaging what Harry's life had been before Hogwarts.

Like a flashback, Draco remembered how, the day they were adopted, his mother told him that he and Harry had a lot in common.

She was right.

"Truce?" the blond boy asked reaching out his hand

"What?" Harry asked confused

"Like it or not, we are brothers now. We should stick to each other not fight." After studying his outstretched hand, Harry shook the slytherin hand with a huge smile

"Truce then."

"I'm glad you decided to get along, but I would prefer it to happen before you caused all these troubles." Severus said emerging from the kitchen with his wife.

The two parents sat on the couch in front of them staring at their sons in silence for a while causing both boys to lower their eyes guilty

"Look at me, gentlemen, we have a lot to discuss." Severus ordered firmly and when they complied Desideria started talking

"Severus and I discussed what happened and we are both disappointed in your behavior of the last few days." she took a deep breath before continuing "We know that you had to deal with a lot of changes in the last month and that you weren't prepared to do it, but nothing justified this ridiculous war you started between each other."

"We're sorry, mum." Draco whispered while Harry nodded along

"I'm glad to hear it, but things got too far and an apology is not enough, I fear." She said in a sad, but firm tone "Severus and I have our faults, of course, we should have put an end to this stupid pranks war the moment it started, but we hoped you would stop on your own." She concluded, throwing a mild glare in her husband's direction

"We know it was wrong now, ma'am." Harry said in a low tone, eyes glinting with tears

"Yeah, mum we're sorry." Draco added

"That's another thing, Harry." Desideria said looking her dark haired boy straight in the eyes "You're not obliged to call us mum and dad, but you can use our given names. I told you already that we are a family and that means no more of this sir and ma'am business, ok?" she asked, her warm smile lightening the scolding

"While we're talking about this," Severus intervened "I know your kind in nature, Harry, but I want to assure you that you don't have to be extra gentle or polite to be accepted by us. Both you and Draco are our sons no matter what, understood?" a tiny, shy smile accompanied the boy's smile

"Told you!" Draco couldn't avoid scoffing "They don't mind if you mess up sometimes!"

"But we prefer for you avoid a repeat of this evening." Desideria scolded them trying to keep her smile for herself

"And I think that's the clue that we should start about today's consequences." Severus said, effectively shutting the boys up "Let's start from the beginning, shall we? We all know that you two were the authors of all those pranks, and since you both recognized your wrongdoing, I will not talk further about this. Now about this evening, Headmaster Dumbledore expressly ordered all the students to their dormitory; yet, you both decided to disobey." Again the boys found the carpet immensely interesting and glued their eyes on it

"I'm not talking with your heads, gentlemen, eyes up." Severus reprimanded before continuing "For I don't know what reason, Harry decided to go ALONE to the third floor, which is still FORBIDDEN," the potion master said glaring at his Gryffindor son "even if there was a DEADLY, DANGEROUS TROLL walking freely in the school and since it was such a GREAT IDEA Draco followed, everything right until now, gentlemen?" and the boys didn't have a choice but nod knowing from the tone and loud volume of their father words that they were both in huge trouble

"Do you realize in what kind of danger you put yourself into?" Severus asked, but this time he didn't wait for an answer before continuing "Even grown wizards don't stand a chance against a mountain troll! And you tried to fight against him like he was an overgrown bully! YOU COULD HAVE DIED IN THERE!" putting a hand over her husband's, Desideria discretely signaled to him that he needed to calm down. She then turned toward the two boys who were now openly crying and with a gentle tone said,

"What your father is trying to say is that what you did was really dangerous and seeing you in the same room with a troll really scared us. It was very wrong on your part for not telling an adult about Hermione still being in the bathroom, Harry, and for you to not advise one of us when you saw your brother run in the opposite side of his dormitory, Draco."

"I expect you to _always_ come to one of us if something like this happens." Severus said in a calmer tone "Are we clear, boys?"

"Yes, uncle Sev."

"Yes, s…uhm Severus."

"Very well, like your mother told you before, we have talked about what happened and decided your punishment. You're both grounded for the next three weeks."

"Three weeks! Uncle Sev!" Draco started to complain

"Not a word, Draco. You both risked your life tonight and that's something I will NOT tolerate." Severus stopped him.

"Like I said, you're grounded and that means that, except for lessons, you'll always be with one of us. Your main concern will be doing your homework, but you will also help me in the potion lab or your mother in the infirmary. Every meal will be eaten in these quarters, except lunch. Everything clear?" this time a chorus of 'yes, sir' answered him.

Severus took a deep breath and prepared himself for the hard part

"In addition to that, we think that your behavior of last week had earned both of you a sound spanking." the complaints were unexpected.

"Uncle Sev! You already grounded us!"

"Dumbledore said we've been punished enough!"

"Don't you even start, boys." Desideria said from near Severus "The day we talked about the rules we were clear about them and 'no fight' and 'no lies' were two of them, were they not?" the nymph asked sternly looking at both boys.

Draco crossed his arms over his chest and pouted knowing he had lost the battle before even starting it, but after the truce they reached a few minutes ago, Harry felt obliged to help him

"We didn't fight though."

"Harold James Snape!" his adoptive mother reprimanded him immediately "Your pranks war has been going on for more than a week, young man, don't you call that fighting?" and seeing that the boy was ready to protest again, she continued "And before you say that you didn't lie either, I remember two certain little boys who didn't bother to correct Miss Granger when she lied to your father in the bathroom, don't you?" and this time both boys just sat on the couch in silence feeling guilty and, mainly, sorry for themselves.

"I think that's enough for the explanations." Severus said firmly. Knowing it was time for the boys' punishment; Desideria stood up and excused herself saying that she was going to prepare the boys beds and when she was out of the room, the potion master continued,

"Since you were so good at finding trouble together it's only fair for me to punish you so." The children looked at each other confused until Severus called both of them at his side, too dumbstruck to protest they obeyed without complains until they found themselves _both_ over their father knees.

"Uncle Sev! You can't spank us together!" Draco cried while Harry was to shocked to say a single word

"I can and I will, Draco."

That said he started the lecture,

"First of all, you don't prank anyone!" the potion master said punctuating his words with swats, alternating between the two boys "It shows a great lack of respect for the person you're pranking." He continued warming the little bottoms until both kids start fidgeting uncomfortably.

"Now about today." he then grabbed Harry trousers and underpants and pulled them down effectively baring a little pink butt

"Please, sir!" the boy found his voice "Not this way!"

"Not bare, uncle Sev!" Draco cried a second later when he suffered the same fate

"Quiet!" the wizard said with a half hearted swat on each behind "What you did this evening was inexcusable and I want to make sure that you never do something like that again." He scolded his sons before re-starting the spanking

"You will never endanger you lives again!" he said peppering both boys rear-ends with heavy swats

"Ow!"

"Sorry!"

"And you will never lie to me about it!"

"Please, stop!"

"No more!"

Severus continued to spank the boys without lecturing anymore so that the only noises in the room where the sound of flesh to flesh and the kids soft pleas. When he thought that the lesson was really learned, the potion master raised his right leg slightly and aiming the last harder swats on his sons sit spots, he repeated,

"No more of this reckless behavior, gentlemen. You will use your brains next time and call and adults, understood?"

"Yes, uncle Sev!"

"Promise!"

Finally the spanking ended and after putting their clothes in place, Severus helped them on their feet.

"Hush now. It's over." He murmured making both boys sit on his lap, Severus gently whispered nonsense words while caressing the boys backs, as soon as he found himself sitting on his godfather's knee, Draco put his head on the man shoulder and after awhile Harry found the courage to do the same.

They sat like that for a few minutes until Desideria came down the stairs

"Everything ok, now?" she asked her husband in a low voice

"I think they're ready for a good night sleep." he answered in the same tone.

Neither children protested when they were picked up, Draco was comfortably lying in his godfather arms and Harry encircled the nymph neck putting his head on her shoulder

"I'm sorry." He murmured half asleep

"It's okay, baby. You're forgiven." she whispered in reply.

* * *

Twenty minutes later the young couple entered their bedroom

"It has been a long day." Desideria said leaning against her husband chest.

"That's an understatement." He replied smiling a bit

"We certainly aren't in danger of being bored with those two." His wife commented lightly, the sound of her giggles muffled by his own robe

"And I thought that affronting Fluffy would have been the scariest thing that could happen to me this evening." He sighed

"Who's Fluffy?" Desideria asked raising her eyes to meet his

"The three headed dog on the third floor." He answered still embracing her

"The one who's guarding the stone?" she asked again

"That one."

"Did he hurt you?" she broke the embrace and reached for her wand

"Just a scratch." He minimized walking toward their bed "Nothing to worry about." Unfortunately his wife noted his limping and without even asking him first, she casted a diagnostic spell.

Before the potion master had the chance to turn down the sheets he was stopped by his wife firm voice

"Severus Tobias Snape! That's not just a scratch!" the only thing that kept her from yelling was knowing that her two kids had just fallen asleep in the near bedrooms "That thing bit you!"

Ignoring Severus' protests, Desideria made him sit on the bed and proceeded to disinfect and bind up the leg, only when she was sure that her beloved husband wouldn't risk an infection, she allowed him to change for the night and finally take a well deserved sleep.

DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW!


	20. Chapter 20

A/N I didn't realize it had been so long since the last time I update! I'm soooooooo sorry! since some of you have become impatient, here's the last _un-betad_ chapter ;) Hope you like it and don't forget to review!

CHAPTER 20-LOOKING FOR HIM

Desideria couldn't help the smile that appeared on her face seeing her two boys grab their schoolbags and, after shouting a goodbye above their shoulders, run out their quarters chatting happily among themselves.

She wasn't so naïve to think that all their problems had been solved so easily, but they sure had come a long way. She had to admit that when last week Severus and she decided to ground the boys, she was prepared to stop a fight at least once a day but surprisingly that hadn't been the case. The boys seemed to get along quite well, of course the fact that they didn't have much classes together helped, but even when they spent the afternoon with her in the infirmary they were usually well behaved. They still didn't act like brothers, but at least they were civil.

"Have a good morning, love." Severus said encircling her waist from behind with his strong, warm arms while depositing a light kiss on her temple "What are you going to do while you're all alone in these big lonely quarters?" he asked, the smirk evident in his voice even if she couldn't see him

"I planned to spend the morning with my lover," she joked, giggling like a schoolgirl when he playfully pinched her hip "but I think I will simply go to Hogsmeade and buy a couple of things for the quarters." She said leaning against her husband's chest

"Have fun then." he whispered giving her one last kiss "I'll see you at lunch." She couldn't help but notice the note of uncertainty laced in the man's words. No matter how many times a day she said that she loved him, every time he left the quarters in the morning, deep down he was afraid that she wouldn't be there on his return.

"See you." She replied while Severus left the room.

The nymph was cleaning the breakfast table while humming softly to herself when she heard the familiar sound that signaled that someone was floocalling.

"Good morning, professor McGonagall." The young woman greeted the witch while kneeling on the carpet to see her better

"Good morning to you too, my dear." The other woman replied with a gentle smile "And please call me Minerva, I'm not your professor." She mild scolded the young nurse

"Very well. What can I do for you, pro…Minerva?" she asked "Severus just left to go to class but I can call him if you need." She offered

"I was looking for you, my dear. Do you mind if I step in?"

"Of course not." The nymph replied stepping back from the Floo "Would you like a cup of tea?" she offered when the older woman entered the living room

"No, thank you." The witch said taking a seat on the couch and waiting for the other woman to do the same before continuing "I don't have any lesson this morning," she said "so I thought to go to Diagon Alley to buy a couple of robes and some material I need for the third year lesson." The woman explained "I know that you usually spend the morning alone and most of the time you're here until lunch time so I wondered if you'd like to come with me."

To say that Desideria was surprised was an understatement. It was true that she was usually alone until lunch but that was because the other, adult and children alike, were in class and while most of the teachers, Severus included, were free she was in the Hospital Wing. It wasn't the best condition to increase her social life, she usually enjoy spend meals time in the Great Hall so she could talk with the others but now that the boys were grounded she mostly eat in the quarters.

Misunderstanding the lack of response from the nymph part for refuse, professor McGonagall stood and with a fake smile, said

"You don't have to, of course. I understand that going shopping with an old woman like me must be boring and…"

"I'd like to, professor McGonagall." she hastened to reassure the older woman "I need to buy a couple of thing for the quarters anyway. I just need a couple of minutes to change." And then she disappeared upstairs.

* * *

Since they lived in the dungeons, it wasn't a surprise that Draco and Harry were already sitting on their benches when the other students arrived in the classroom.

"Harry! How are you?" Ron yelled as soon as he spotted his best friend

"Good morning, Harry." Hermione followed at a more sedate pace

"'Morning guys." the green eyed boy replied

"You gotta see this, mate!" the red head said putting a copy of the Daily Prophet right under his nose "Someone had robbed the Gringotts! The Gringotts, man!"

"I still don't understand why you're so excited, Ron." the girl said sitting down "A robbery is all but exciting." but Harry was too concentrate on the robbery article to pay attention to their bicker.

"Vault 713." he murmured "Vault 713." he kept repeating that in a low voice and that captured the two litigants' attention

"Everything ok, mate?"

"Vault 713!" he repeated again and this time with much more enthusiasm

"What about that?" his friend asked exchanging a confused look with Hermione

"I knew what was in it! I mean…Hagrid took something from that vault the day he accompanied me to Hogsmeade and…and he bring it here!" he explained

"They said that the vault was empty." Hermione took the newspaper from him and re-read the article

"Hagrid said that it was something important for Dumbledore." Harry added

"You mean that they tried to steal something from Dumbledore?" Ron asked "They must be crazy! Dumbledore is one of the most powerful wizards of the world!"

"Do you know what it is?" Hermione questioned

"No. He said that it was a secret."

"They tried to steal from Dumbledore." Ron repeated in awe

"That's not technically correct." The first year girl tried to protest, but ignoring her words completely, the red head turn to Harry

"We should investigate, don't you think?"

Unfortunately, the potion master choose that moment to enter the class effectively putting an end at their discussion

"Today you'll learn how to make a pepper up potion. Instructions are on the blackboard and the ingredients on the shelves. You have two hours."

* * *

Desideria had never been in Diagon Alley before, so when they apparated in the main street she just stood there overwhelmed by the sounds and the colors of the small wizard village.

Her knowledge of Great Britain was limited to Hogsmeade and Hogwarts. She grew up in a wizard village but while in Italy the muggles and the wizards communities were totally integrated with each other and robes were worn only for formal ceremonies, here the muggles didn't even know that wizards existed! Despite living in the same country, they were two entirely different worlds, with traditions, cultures and costumes of their own.

For the first hour, the young nymph followed the other woman while she entered various shops to buy school supply, until the transfiguration teacher declared that it was time for a good, warm tea.

"How are you, Desideria?" Minerva when the waitress walked away with their orders

"A bit tired, I think, but this place is fantastic. It's so colorful and full of life!" she nodded enthusiastically

"I'm glad you like it," the older woman nodded "but I wasn't talking about this morning, dear."

"What were you talking about then?" the nymph asked genuinely confused

"I'd like to know how you're feeling in general. You had to face a lot of major changes in the last few weeks, child, and I want only to know if you need any help dealing with everything." Desideria had no doubt that the transfiguration teacher was really worried, that half morning spent together helped the young nurse understands that behind the stern, fierce mask, Minerva was a very caring, gentle person.

"I'm fine, Minerva. I'm sure that now that the boys are leaning to get along the worst is beyond us." the young woman smiled secure

"I noticed a change in the boys' behavior." the transfiguration teacher said before sipping the newly arrived tea. "And how is it going with Severus?" the woman asked looking straight into Desi's eyes.

"Like I said, the worst is beyond us." the nymph repeated and this time her smile was slightly forced

"Are you sure, dear? Severus is far from being husband material and…"

Maybe it was because she didn't expect the other woman to question her private life, or maybe just because her nymph nature couldn't accept anyone speaking badly of her mate, however the nurse felt her fingers tighten around the tea cup and she unconsciously straightened her back in a more intimidating position

"Severus is a wonderful husband, ma'am, I'm really lucky he's my mate." she said between clenched teeth

"You know by less than two months, Desideria, you have no idea what he…" but before the older woman had the chance to say anything else, the nymph interrupted her

"I _met_ him less than two months ago, ma'am, but thanks to my dreams it's like I knew him my whole life. I'm aware of what he did in the past as I'm aware that he's not that man anymore or he wouldn't be my soul mate. Despite his past, he's a great father and a wonderful husband and no matter what you or the headmaster thinks, there's no one in this world that knows Sev more that I do."

After he little outburst, the nymph sat in silence, her fuming, dark eyes fixed on the woman in front of her.

"I'm glad to hear that." instead of being put down by the younger witch animated speech, the transfiguration teacher grinned broadly "Severus is a good man but unfortunately there aren't many people willing to overcome his sarcasm to discover the man behind the mask. I'm happy to know that he finally found someone he considers worth loving." she then took a golden galleon out of her purse "You need things for your quarters, don't you?" the professor stood and start walking out the pub leaving a open mount Desi behind her.

* * *

In the afternoon, usually the boys stayed with Desideria in the Hospital Wing for a couple of hours while Severus taught to the upper years, then he took them to their quarters until dinner time, but that afternoon Albus asked to talk with his about something urgent so when the potion master entered his quarters his family was already there.

Draco was sitting on one of the couches, his favorite adventure book between his hands while Harry was lying on the carper drawing something; a soft music was coming from the kitchen where he knew Desideria was finishing cooking dinner.

He wasn't going to admit it to anyone, but that simple, family scene warmed his scarred heart.

"Hey, stranger." Desideria was now standing just outside the kitchen wearing an apron; she had a wooden spoon in her right hand and a warm welcoming smile on her face. She had never been more beautiful to him. Covering the short distance that separated them with a couple of steps, she stood on tiptoes to kiss his lips and Severus instinctively put his hands on her hips to steady her

"How was your day?" he asked without releasing her

"Full of surprise." she replied "Minerva and I talked about a lot of things and I think that she likes me now."

"Didn't she like you already?" the man asked raising an eyebrow slightly confused

"Yes, but she likes me more now." His wife replied simply "How was your day?"

"As usual." the potion master said, then raising his voice a little to make sure that he could be heard by the two boys too, he added "Except that _someone_ decided to daydream instead of paying attention during class and ended up blowing up a cauldron." Desideria turned toward her sons just as a blushing Harry raised his eyes from his drawing to look at them

"I said I was sorry."

"Potions could be dangerous if you don't pay attention to what you're doing; and daydreaming won't help improve your grades, young man." Severus lectured his adopted son

"I know." The boy replied in a small voice

"Have you already written the lines I gave you this morning?" the potion master asked finally releasing his wife from the embrace

"Yes, sir."

"Then the matter is closed." He said and Harry relaxed visibly

"Dinner's ready!" Desideria yelled from the kitchen before Severus could decide to lecture the boy further.

After tucking the boys in bed, Desideria and Severus sat in front of the fireplace enjoying each other company as they did every other night since the infamous Halloween night; most of the time they talked about the day's event, but sometimes they just sat in silence, their eyes lost in the flames of the fire.

Severus was sitting on his favorite couch, his feet propelled on the coffee table and glass of firewhiskey in his left hand; his wife's head was comfortably resting against his chest while the woman told him every details of the chat she had with Minerva that morning.

When Desideria finished talking, they sat there in silence, enjoying the intimacy

"Albus called me into his office this afternoon." the potion master said after awhile

"I know. Was it about the robbery at Gringotts?" the nymph asked. As member of the Hogwarts staff she knew that at the third floor there was a three-heads dog guarding something important, she also knew that that something had been kept in safe at Gringotts.

"It was about Black." The potion master said. Desideria immediately sat upright

"What about him?" she asked

"Albus said that someone saw him in Knockturn Alley. He was buying ingredients for a potion."

"Did they catch him?" she could feel her heartbeat rise with worry

"NO. Albus wanted to know if I could identified the potion by what he bought. Unfortunately those ingredients are quite common and they could be used in lots of potions, from a _pepper up_ to the _draught of living death_." the potion master said drinking his firewhisky in one gulp

"What are we gonna do?" the nymph asked taking Severus' hand in her own

"The best Aurors of Great Britain are tracking him down." Severus said "For now, we can only wait."


	21. Author Note

I'm sorry! I didn't update in awhile but I had a major writer block and in the end I decided to just re-write this story. I didn't have a plot in mind when I started writing, but I have one (a good one!) now, so just be patient and you will read a better version of Detail that change a life!

I'm sorry if I disappointed any of you!

Love

bluerose


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